"to fear the Lord is to hate evil." (proverbs 8:13)

i was reading this verse today and it smacked me right between the eyes.

i've been coming to this realization lately of how numb i am to the ways of this world. things like violence, profanity, sexuallity, perverseness, drunkenness, etc. have become so much a part of our culture that i find myself unaffected by them.

it's not that i'm engaging in these things, but it scares me that i've become numb to it.

i looked up the word "hate" in the dictionary. "hate" is a verb that means "to dislike intensely or passionately; feel extreme aversion for or extreme hostility toward."

i don't know that i can honestly say i "hate" evil. i am pretty numb to it. i am pretty unaffected by it.

i certainly don't like it, but i don't know that i have an extreme, passionate hostility towards it. i can exist around it and it doesn't ruin my night.

i wonder how many of us "followers of the Way" aren't really following "the Way" at all? i wonder how many of us "followers of Jesus" have grown numb to the evil around us in this culture we live in and rather than truly picking up our crosses and follwing him, we just exist in the culture we are in? i wonder how many of us really "hate" evil? i wonder how many of us really "fear the Lord?"

Lord, teach me to fear you again. break my heart with what breaks your heart. forgive me for my complacency in standing up for what is right. forgive me for being unaffected by evil and sin.

God, may we let our light shine before men like a city on a hill for all to see.