Anointed with the Oil of Joy

God wants us to love what He loves and hate what He hates. He loves righteousness (doing right) and He hates evil (doing wrong). We should feel the same way God does and make decisions that will please Him. We are faced with choices all the time. Every day we must decide whether we will do the right thing or the wrong thing when situations arise. We decide if we will walk through the narrow gate that leads to life or through the broad gate that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13–14). Each of us must decide for ourselves and be careful not to take wrong advice from the ungodly.

We will all stand before God eventually and give an account of our life (Romans 14:12), and the decisions we make now will impact how easy or difficult that day will be. All decisions have consequences. We can be forgiven for our wrong choices, but this doesn’t mean that all the consequences of our actions disappear. A person may steal, lie, or even murder, and they can be forgiven for their sin, but they may still go to prison.

We should think carefully about our decisions because wise people do now what they will be happy with later in life. A foolish person is one who does wrong things and hopes that they will avoid the consequences, but they don’t. God promises to give favor and joy to the person who loves righteousness and hates wickedness, and I pray that you and I will fit this description.

Prayer of the Day: Father, please help me walk in righteousness and hate evil and wickedness. I want Your favor and the oil of joy.