LITTLE ANGEL, LITTLE DEVIL -- Devotional for March 8, from "Good Seeds"

Be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do. (Ephesians 5:15-17)

I remember a little Sunday School song we sang as kids: “Let your conscience be your guide, don’t you think you have to hide, open up your heart and let the sunshine in.” Is that good theology? Is it even good advice? We’re all familiar with the comical cartoon caricature of a miniature, haloed angel with the face of the person whose shoulder it is perched on, sharply squeaking out its moralistic diatribes! That would be the conscience, desperately trying to teach us right from wrong. The idea was, follow his advice and you’ll stay out of trouble. But wait, what about the other guy, the little pitchfork-wielding devil on the other shoulder (same face, but with a wicked grimace)? He was on hand for no other reason than to get you into trouble. Is this more accurate religion? Well, now we have dualism: the good and evil side of “The Force” drawing us into its eternal conflict (see Feb. 13) – still not too close to what the Bible teaches about right and wrong. But today’s passage does give three scenarios, each with the angel/devil influencers whispering in our ears: 1) Wise man vs. foolish man; 2) Doing good every day despite every day being evil; 3) Thoughtless actions vs. understanding God’s will. These Bible truths will help guide us through the maze of good and evil – but they are not the whole truth. Proverbs 3:5,6 gives the rest of the story: “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” The world says, “Trust yourself.” The Bible says, “Trust only in God.” The world says, “Follow your heart.” The Bible says, “Your heart is deceitful and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9). You just don’t know enough, and you’re not good enough, to keep yourself on the road to life. The world says, “Listen to your conscience.” The Bible says, “Listen to God” (not those little false gods on your shoulders!) The world says, “You only go around once, so get all the gusto you can while the getting is good!” The Bible says, “Each day presents many opportunities for evil; but you can turn each one into an opportunity for good.” I like what Dr. Laura says at the close of her daily radio program, “Now go do the right thing!” There are so many things we could do on any given day. But only by listening to God’s heart will we do the right thing, the good thing – the God thing!