"Evil"

There are some evil people,

I hate to say it’s true,

But if you don’t believe it,

There’s more you must live through.

‘Cause there are hateful killers,

And those who will destroy,

All that has some value,

And their lies are a ploy,

To steal all that they’ve wanted,

No matter who is stung,

Way back in the old days,

The horse thieves all were hung.

I know that sounds barbaric,

No doubt sometimes it was,

But law was scarce in those days,

They did it all because,

Something had to stop them,

From their old violent ways,

It sometimes took a bullet,

Or a Ranger’s rope some days.

Now we are more careful,

The prisoner’s read his rights,

We can’t just go violent,

Or give him up for slights.

And that’s the way it should be,

We pray the crime will stop,

But we all know the problems,

With one or two bad cops.

So lethal force is needed,

But more times than not,

Someone can be captured,

Without a single shot.

I’m for law and order,

Respect all those in blue,

They have an awful challenge,

To know just what to do.

And evil people out there,

You should well beware,

The good guys will be coming,

They’ll track you anywhere.

May God relieve our violence,

Help us, Lord, to live,

So peace rules every neighbor,

And kindness to him give.

“Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good…” (Rom. 12:21, NLT)

Sometimes it hard to tell the good guys from the bad these days. Some have even come to the point they don’t believe in good and evil anymore. No absolutes, and everything’s about how you feel and what’s right for you, which may not be right for somebody else. That way of thinking champions tolerance as the highest virtue, and disregards anything that smacks of a moral code that applies to all. Of course those who go down that road may not have truly thought through the logic of what they believe. In the end, they are not as tolerant as they would have you believe, and if they believe they’re treated unfairly, suddenly discover the “moral high ground” they rejected before. Bottom line: people can pretty much justify anything they want to do, no matter how evil it is. Good news, Jesus died to forgive and free us from this evil, and He’s really the only One who can. Those who know Jesus are called to overcome evil by showering goodness on everyone. Not easy, but the greatest adventure of living there is.

Lord, help us overcome evil with good, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Steve Boaldin, artofacowboy.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Steve, and God bless you.