Acts 23:21
But do not thou yield unto them: for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, which have bound themselves with an oath, that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him: and now are they ready, looking for a promise from thee.
Paul made many enemies in life, not by his choosing, but by their choice. These people were so intent on silencing him that when he was held prisoner and was to be moved, they made an oath between themselves that they would not eat or drink and would lie in wait until he was killed. Their plot to have him killed was heard by Paul’s nephew who came to the prison to warn Paul of this plot.
What is so sad about this situation is that these men missed learning from one of the Apostles of Christ because of their intent to destroy him. It mattered not how much Paul could prove his truths; their lying in wait blinded them to all the truths he could have taught them. Their evil minds to plot to destroy a man kept them from learning truths that could help them serve God as God would want them to serve Him.
Sadly, many people live like these men, looking for the flaws in people so they can attack another Christian, but their evil mindset has kept them from learning truths that could change their lives for the good. My friend, the evil minds of people whose sole purpose is to destroy someone will find themselves losing the joy of life and never gleaning the blessings of truth that God has to give them through this person they desire to destroy. We can learn a couple of lessons about lying in wait to destroy someone.
First, if you lie in wait to find something wrong with a person, you are sure to find it, but that mindset will keep you from seeing their good. You may have had a disagreement with someone, but you should never let that change your mind to becoming an evil person looking to pick someone apart. What is sad about lying in wait to find something wrong with someone is that it robs you from enjoying life. If you lie in wait to find something to accuse your spouse, you are sure to find it, but you will lose the joy of your marriage in the meantime. You are sure to find something wrong with your preacher if you lie in wait to pick him apart, but you are missing the truths he could help you with if you would change your mindset. In any relationship, if you lie in wait to find something wrong with that person, you are sure to find it, but you miss the goodness you can get from that relationship because of this evil mindset.
Second, it is better to lie in wait to find the goodness in someone than to lie in wait to find something to destroy them. I would rather fail at spending my life trying to find the good in people than succeed at lying in wait to find the bad in people so I can destroy them. Life is too short to spend your life trying to destroy people, and the need to reach people with the Gospel is too vital to spend your life trying to destroy people. Lying in wait to find the good in people or trying to bring the good out of people is one of the greatest ways to live life.
What are you lying in wait to find in people? It is much better to seek the good in people than it is to seek the bad. You can succeed in both areas, but seeking the bad in people turns you into an evil person; whereas, seeking the good in people turns you into a person who helps lift people above their weaknesses to becoming a tool for God to use.
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