Proverbs 3:31

"Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways."
Proverbs 3:31


I think sometimes, even though there is a huge difference between what God offers us and what Satan offers us, that our minds get clouded, and it is hard for us to see even that vast difference... between light and dark, good and bad. Perhaps because manipulation can seem like love, or because at first we're willing to give up something good but unknown in the future for something false but immediate... and then it gets harder and harder to feel or see as we go further down that road. Some of it is natural... it gets harder to see God's path when we're facing the opposite direction, and harder to feel when we don't have the spirit. Some of it is chosen... we want to avoid guilt and stress from choosing things that we know to be wrong, so we actively edit out those things in our daily thoughts. Either way, we effectively blind ourselves, refusing to see the harm that we're doing on a spiritual level (if only that). So, today, I thought we could look at this verse and remember that there isn't anything that we should envy about Satan, or want from him. No matter what it is that we think that we're getting from walking away from God, it is empty and hollow and limited, and takes us further and further away from the real and tangible and eternal gifts that God offers to us. Satan is tricky sometimes and combines something of great value to us with something else that is evil, and we have to learn to distinguish between the two and still avoid the bad... but in the end, what he offers is worthless compared to what God offers, which is good without mixture with any tainted stuff. Whatever it is that we want, let's look to God for it in the untainted, undiluted version, and avoid the rat-poison laced version that Satan offers at a discounted price.