Conceiving Good

Psalm 7:14 (ESV)

Behold, the wicked man conceives evil and is pregnant with mischief and gives birth to lies.

The English Standard Version gives a very vivid rendering of this passage, alluding to the process of child birth!

It begins with a thought, with a stirring in the mind/heart. As Jesus said in Luke 6:45 - "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh."

And then plans come in as the idea matures before finally the act itself takes place.

Just like childbirth, sin is oftentimes not by "accident", but an indication of a deeper issue. One who is a habitual liar - is it merely because of the "weakness" of the moment? Or is a lack of faith in God's providence to truth tellers, or maybe even doubt to the seriousness of lying?

Again, we are reminded of the process by James in James 1:14-15 - "But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death."

Yet it also means that there is something we can do about it. It need not be an inevitable spiral down to oblivion. As with evil-doing, well-doing doesn't happen by chance! But by careful and consistent effort. Wherefore it remains vital for us to acknowledge the dangers lurking in every corner, that we not become overconfident (1Co 10:12), to fill our hearts and minds with things that are wholesome and good in God's sight (Phi 4:8), and to be busy with the Lord's work and to stick around with like-minded people (Heb 10:24,25).

God help us all to conceive good, be pregnant with well-doing, and bring forth good fruits, that we may enter into the pleasure of our Lord.