The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies. Psalm 58:3
Our next-door neighbours had obtained a new kitten. It was a tiny calico, only a couple of weeks old. Somehow, it made its way onto our lawn and was having a struggle in the grass. I picked it up and it snuggled contentedly into the crook of my arm. It was a lovely little thing, and, pleased at its friendliness, I decided to show it to Judy, who was in the back yard. But I had forgotten about our dog, who was tied behind the house. The kitten noticed the dog before I did, and instantly became a ball of ferocity, teeth bared, tail up, glaring and spitting in rage and terror at the dog. I quickly took the kitten home. That was the first dog that kitten had ever seen, but it instantly and instinctively knew that the dog was its enemy. It was like us, born with a sinful instinctive animosity toward God.
Interestingly, our dog showed no animosity toward the kitten. In fact, she seemed anxious to see it and to become friends. But the kitten would have none of that. It was like you and me in our unsaved days. We wanted to get as far away from God as possible. It was not something we learned, either; we were born with that animosity. But God, like our friendly dog, wanted to be our Friend. Even as Christians, we sometimes have a struggle to recognize that the God who has saved us has nothing but the best to offer us. We tend to stick to our own ideas and plans and give far too little thought to what God wants us to do and be. This should impress on our minds just how far we are from what we should be as Christians.
We know that even tiny babies are liars, never requiring a lesson in how to deceive their parents as they fuss to be picked up. As the father of lies, Satan has everybody churning out falsehoods as quickly as possible. However, as soon as we are saved, the lies should stop; Satan is no longer our father. Our Heavenly Father cannot lie, and desires truth in His children. Lying is a hard habit to break, but we must strive to put away this mark of our former life.
Let’s rewrite today’s text to make it fit our case: Christians are reconciled at Salvation’s day; they draw near to God’s presence as soon as they are saved, speaking truth. -Jim MacIntosh