Evil Inclinations

So God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them." ~Moses

I've been thinking about what would grieve the Lord and fill him with so much pain that he would want to set the earth on fire and watch it burn. The only example of this dirtball of a planet being cleansed is given in Genesis. He soaked it for a year and half like I would a grimy frying pan. When I read the account of the flood in chapter six, I'm told that God's pain began with the way that men were treating women. The Holy Spirit would not contend with it.

Man immediately took a nosedive into evil. Every inclination of the thoughts of their heart was only evil all the time. The world was full of violence and all the people were corrupt. God was sorry he made us humans. Love was filled with pain and opened the floodgates of heaven. Only eight people survived to tell the story to their children. Sin survived with them.

I understand God's grief when I read the newspaper or watch a violent movie. People can be corrupt, arrogant and shockingly violent. The way they treat each other is appalling and labelling it "love" is a slap to the One who IS love. "I would kill for you" is a love song when "I would die for you" is silenced.

I asked the Lord to show me if the inclination of my thoughts are evil. He revealed that they were but not in the way that I had always thought was true evil. I had told myself that if I was thinking of doing evil or having wicked thoughts that those were the inclinations of my heart. I was semi-appalled but not real surprised to find that my thoughts had become entrenched with evil being done to me and the evil thoughts of others. I had stopped looking at the true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy things in others and was dwelling on the evil permeating the world and the violence. I had forgotten that I am not of this world! 

"That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness." ~Peter