A Voice

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

A VOICE

Prov 21:7

7 The violence of the wicked will drag them away, for they refuse to do what is right.

NIV

If this isn’t proof that God has given man free will, nothing is. Here we see that it is the voice of the wicked, it is their own voice, their own choice which drags them away. It is also interesting their voice drags them away because they refuse to do what is right. This would lead us to believe they know what is right in order to refuse to do it. Paul makes this clear in his discussion about knowing God, but not wanting to retain that knowledge.

Rom 1:18-23

18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

NIV

Rom 1:28-32

28 Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

NIV

Each man has the knowledge of God within them, however they voice their own refusal to acknowledge him because they want to do want they ought not to do, they want to do that which is not right, but wrong. This may be about committing sins, doing evil instead of good, but  we all commit sin, even as believers. They real right and wrong in accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior. Doing right is acknowledging God in our lives. Doing right is accepting what Jesus did on the cross for our sin and accepting being justified and being made righteous in the sight of God. Refusing to do what is right is refusing the justification of God, declaring them blameless and free from the penalty of sin. How bless we are that we are not counted among the wicked, but among the righteous. Our voice said yes to God. Our voice responded to the work of the Holy Spirit. Our voice is used to praise God, to give him glory and honor for what he has done for us, in us and through us. This is what is right. Let our voice always be about saying what is right. It is a shame some use their voice to drag themselves away from God. But the point here is we all have a voice.