Passage Read: Proverbs 22-25
Meditation Verses: 22:24-25
Thought
This is true of all kinds of people. We may not agree with the methods of the angry man, but he gets what he wants in so many cases, so we find ourselves secretly envious, and that envy gives way to unconscious emulation. But it's not just the angry man, it's anyone who gains their desire by unholy means. The backbiter, the gossip, the schemer, the manipulator, the complainer, the contentious. We're so easily influenced, and we so easily adopt ways that are not right because we see them succeed. We can identify them as wrong at the first and hope to change those in whom we find them, but because of their effectiveness, we can end up the one changed!
Application
It is better for me to keep a distance from those who use wrong means to accomplish their desires. It would be better for me to openly rebuke the behavior than to befriend the one with wrong behavior in hope of influencing him towards righteousness. Because I too have wants and wishes that often go unfulfilled, unless I have truly let go of those desires, then I am more susceptible to adopt those wrong behaviors, than I am likely to change them in another. I'm a fool if I do not admit my susceptibility and take pains to protect myself.