Day 25, Year 1 Eradicating Wickedness and Establishing Righteousness 

“Take away the wicked before the king, And his throne will be established in righteousness.” (Proverbs 25:5 NASB)

Today’s verse speaks about how a kingdom is established on earth—essentially by removing the wicked before the king. However, my understanding is that this verse could also be applied to believers. It was mentioned yesterday that Jesus will bestow just and righteous judgments upon us. But why do so many believers fail to demonstrate much of Jesus’ justice and righteousness in their lives? Perhaps, the answer is that there are too many “little wicked” reigned inside believers. They tolerate these “little wicked” in them, thus the work of Jesus is hindered, for instance, they follow the wicked voice to blame God easily.

For committed believers who truly accept Jesus as the Lord, the Lord is certainly our King. However, it is often those “little wicked” within us that continuously distort and nullify Jesus’ words, convincing us that certain aspects of God’s words are impractical, while some even directly rebel against His commands in us. Unless these “little wicked” in us are eliminated, it is impossible to realize the sovereignty of Jesus fully in our lives. When a sinner converts to Jesus, it is inevitable that these “little wicked” will disturb him or her. The key is whether we choose to extinguish these “little wicked” or to indulge them in us to expand its power. Please remember: This choice is equivalent to choosing life or death. Many believers stumble at this point because they find the “little wicked” too familiar and comforting, and following the “little wicked” leads us to find a sense of connection with other sinners too. Contrarily, following Jesus and obeying His words might feel more challenging, because His guidance always led further away from our sinful nature. Meanwhile, adhering to the Lord’s commands might easily make us feel lonely among sinful people. No matter what, we might feel that obeying Jesus would lead us into many troubles.

Looking back at today’s verse, despite all the considerations mentioned above, the crucial question is: Do you wish to establish Jesus’ sovereignty firmly in your life? If yes, relying on Him wholeheartedly would enable you to overcome all problems that might arise.

Reflection questions:

1) Do you habitually listen to the voices of the “little wicked” within you? If so, how would you rely on the Lord Jesus to overcome them?

2) Are you determined to eradicate the “little wicked” within you and firmly establish Jesus’ righteous sovereignty in your life? If yes, then how?