how easily we kill ourselves for petty things // 2011.07.30

Click here to read this day's Bible readings.

Herod wasn't exactly a holy man, but somehow he still knew the difference between left and right. He wanted to kill Herod but knew doing so was the wrong thing to do. It may be for the wrong reason of his people possibly hating him if he killed someone they see as a prophet, but the point is that he decided to let John the Baptist live despite his inclinations to do so.

Unfortunately, one of Herod's "gods" in the form of Herodias and her daughter challenged him to do the wrong thing. Despite him deciding it was not right to kill John the Baptist, his weakness to his gods -- women and his pride -- he went on to order John the Baptist's death. He was distressed, but he gave in nonetheless.

Aren't we like Herod sometimes when temptation comes in? We hear our own voice whispering to ourselves phrases like "I'm already cornered, I have no choice", "but it feels so right, maybe it isn't wrong even if it's clearly a bad move", or my personal favorite, "God would understand." We give in to our "gods" and easily forget who the real God is. We forget what really is good for us.

There is an old saying, "evil happens when good people do nothing". That phrase holds true to ourselves as well. We fall into evil if we let ourselves be drawn and trapped into it. Let us be weary by always remembering God in our hearts and in our thoughts.