You have good reason to hate evil when you think about the harm it has brought into your life. Sin has caused so much trouble in your heart. It blinded you to the beauty of the Savior and made you deaf to the Redeemer's tender invitations. It led you down the path of death and poisoned the very core of your being.

Sin tainted your heart, making it deceitful and desperately wicked. Before God's grace stepped in, you were a creature deeply affected by evil. You were an heir of wrath just like everyone else, running with the crowd to do evil. This was true for us all, but Paul reminds us, "You're washed, sanctified, justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God." We have every reason to hate evil when we see its deadly work, causing us to be lost if not for God's redeeming love. Even now, it's always ready to harm us and drag us into destruction.

So, hate evil, Christians, unless you want trouble. If you wish to fill your path with thorns and your deathbed with pain, neglect to hate evil. But if you want to live happily and die peacefully, walk in holiness, hating evil to the end. If you truly love your Savior and want to honor Him, then hate evil. No cure for the love of evil exists in a Christian like spending time with Jesus. Be with Him often, and you cannot make peace with sin. "Order my footsteps by your Word, and make my heart sincere. Let sin have no dominion, Lord, but keep my conscience clear."

Keep in Jesus' presence, and sin will lose its hold on you. Reflect on these truths today, and draw nearer to Him.