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"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." [Matthew 6:33-34].

            Take no thought-- literally, be not over-- anxious and unduly worried about the morrow, but realize that God has the whole in perfect control, and as we seek Him FIRST, He will take care of every need as it arises. "For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things." [Matthew 6:32]. Physically, mentally, spiritually-- every need shall be met as we seek first the kingdom of God, seek for HIS will and lordship in our life, that we might serve Him in accordance with His will for us.
             Then comes this statement, "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." Ah, how men would like to word this differently. We prefer the kind of promise which reads, "And as thy days, so shall thy strength be." [Deuteronomy 33:25]. Or again, "My grace is sufficient for thee." [2 Corinthians 12:9]. Sufficient unto the day is the strength and grace thereof sounds real good. We like that! And this is true, praise God, but right now the Master is emphasizing that there is a quota of evil that is also sufficient for the day.
             This word "evil" from the Greek word "kakai" which is the feminine form from "kakon," speaks of evil in the abstract sense, to cover all the generalized forms of evil in the world. Pressures, troubles, distresses, afflictions, injustice, corruption-- the whole influence of that which is evil in our day, all is included in this generalized term of evil.
            Now we read, "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." [Romans 12:21]. Yet is it not true that there could be no form of this overcoming without the evil being there as an obstacle? How can one win in a hurdle-jumping race if there be no hurdles out on the race track? And so it is, God knows exactly how much evil to allow to come your way for your development as an overcomer. To be an overcomer you must have things which need to be overcome. "He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son." [Revelation 21:7].
             Perhaps once more we need to be reminded that "to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things." [1 Corinthians 8:6]. HE is the First Cause of all causes, and the initial Source of all things. This is He of whom it is written, "I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things." [Isaiah 45:7]. And this is the same God spoken of in Ephesians 1:11, "He worketh all things after the counsel of His own will."
             "The Lord hath made all things for Himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil." [Proverbs 16:4]. And again, "I have created the waster to destroy (act wickedly, corrupt)." [Isaiah 54:16].
            Our God takes the full responsibility, and we shall simply stand by and see what He will do with it, and wonder, and come to worship Him for all of His ways. Indeed, true worship is unreservedly approving from our heart all that God does, for we know that His way is the best way.
             Some people wish that God had qualified His statement, to read, "I create physical evil," that is, earthquakes, famine, etc. But the full context of Isaiah 45 shows otherwise. Verse one speaks of Cyrus, "whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations." It was God who girded him for conquest, and sent him to WAR. But war is more than just a physical evil, it is the consequence of wrong doing, and results from sin, deceit, corruption, oppression, ambition, hatred, etc. And even the injecting of a godly man into a war to help clean up the mess doesn't erase the fact that war itself is an evil, and the results of evil.
             "Shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it ? Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but He revealeth His secret to His servants the prophets." [Amos 3:6-7]. Praise God, HE controls both ends, and He causes the evil to happen in one place, and tells the secret of it to His servant in another place, and then uses that servant to "stand by" in prayer and believing until a victory is wrought out of it all.
            It is God Himself, and not an enemy, that has set good and evil before us, not for our injury but for our benefit, under the direction of perfect wisdom, that all the events of life must work together for the good of all.
             WISDOM that is infinite, cares for each of us as if we were but one, and yet regards the whole as easily as if they were but one. One individual, or a whole universe, it matters not, His power is such that we all receive that personal attention as if we were the only one, and yet He deals with the whole with that same wonderful wisdom and power. When each individual is the object of infinite patience and boundless love, is watched over by an omniscient eye, and protected by an omnipotent arm, none can perish.
             And remember this one solid fact: All evil must ultimately self-destruct, while all good is self-perpetuating. God has built an inherent law into each force, it is immutable and cannot be altered. All creation tells the story of how evil constantly destroys itself, and it is a survival of the fittest. Thus good continues to perpetuate and carry on, and ultimately shall triumph completely. Hallelujah!
             Someone once wrote the statement, "whatever is, is right." This is absolutely true from God's position, even though it appears to be the opposite from the natural, earthly viewpoint.
             We look at a certain situation and declare that it is "all wrong," and from man's viewpoint, under the restrictions and laws that govern us, it is wrong, and we shall be judged and dealt with according to our choice and action in the matter. Yet from God's viewpoint these things are "right," in that they are being used of Him in the divine interplay of good and evil, to work a development and maturity in us.
            Thus we find that in one sense, the words right and wrong are quite relative, and also that they relate to some standard or rule. Usually it is all on man's side and viewpoint, for it was given to man for his processing and overcoming.
             Yet certainly we must all agree that IN GOD there is no duality of right and wrong, for everything He IS, and DOES is RIGHT. His holiness and righteousness assure us of that, for His way is Perfect.
             It is on man's realm that we find these contrasts, and then must use the right to overcome the wrong. Negative and positive, with their interaction, for this is apart of this present arrangement. To develop and train us, that we might be prepared for the higher realms in God.
             Now, for a moment, consider a heathen sacrifice. The man had his idol, he makes his vow unto his god, and then seeks to fulfill the sacrifice, for he would be very conscientiously condemned if he neglected it, for to him it is right. Yet according to the law of Christ such a sacrifice is all wrong. Jesus Christ gave His life for us-- ending all these animal sacrifices, etc. as we believe in Him. So we would teach him our doctrines, and tell him that his way of doing things is all wrong. New light often changes our attitudes and standards, so that what we once thought was right, we later feel is wrong, and then we proceed to walk in the new light, since now for us it is right. Praise God for this progression.
             We have, however, no desire to just change one set of "man's" ideas for another, but we would walk on in the light of the Lord, that we might be "changed from glory to glory" even as this change proceeds to us from the Lord.
            No one would hesitate to say that the betrayal and crucifixion of Christ was awfully wrong, and very wicked. "Ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain." [Acts 2:23]. As far as man's side of it was concerned it was all wrong to do this-- Jesus Christ was totally innocent of any mis-deed. The trial was a mockery of justice, and every act that followed only compounded the wrong-doing. And yet there is another side, it was right, and furthermore, God was a party to that rightness.
            "Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God." [Acts 2:23]. It was the Father's will that Christ drink the bitter cup. Jesus prayed that if it be the Father's will, that the cup would pass. But the cup did not pass, He had to drink it all, for this was the Father's will. "For this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness (Greek, be a martyr) unto the truth." [John 18:37]. (Editor's Note: John 18:37 "For this cause came I into the world..." and in Matt. 27:45-47 Jesus states, "My God, My God, for this I was kept (this was my destiny-- I was born for this.) This interpretation is taken from "Eli, Eli, Lmana Sabachthani" from Matt. 27:45-47; however, it is interpreted by G. M. Lamsa in Aramaic. In his book, Idioms in the Bible Explained & A Key to the Original Gospels Lamsa states, "This term (Eli, Eli, Lmana Sabachthani) even at present is only used by the Aramaic speaking people in Assyria, the same language which the Galileans spoke at the time of our Lord. This phrase in Aramaic means, ‘My God, My God, for this I was kept (this was my destiny-- I was born for this.' For additional insight we have linked this page to Lamsa's web page of Idioms in the Bible Explained. End of note). He did more than give voice to the truth in preaching, He gave His life to confirm the message which He spake, and this physical death was apart of the PLAN.
             Jesus said to Pilate, "Thou couldest have no power at all against Me, except it were given thee from above." [John 19:11]. God furnished the power, and without His co-operation it could never have been done.
             Did Judas deliver Him up? Judas was the one who betrayed Him with a kiss. Did the Jews deliver Him up? They were the ones that said, "His blood be upon us," and "Give us Barabbas." Did Pilate deliver Him up? He had the legal authority and power to set Him free. Were all of these people guilty? Surely they all had apart in the action, and all were partly to blame for this wicked deed. From man's standpoint they were all very wrong. A kiss, the token of love's expression used to betray, this is all very, very wrong. The unbridled animosity of the Jews was a clear revelation of their wrong position, filled with evil intent. While Pilate violated his whole position as a ruler in consenting to the death of an innocent man.
             Yet, while each one of the involved parties were guilty and in the wrong, this we also read, "Both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the nations, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, FOR TO DO WHATSOEVER THY HAND AND THY COUNSEL DETERMINED BEFORE TO BE DONE." [Acts 4:27-28].
            Who gathered everybody together and had them in their respective places for this event? GOD DID! He controlled the whole background history which led up to this appointed hour. He arranged the nations around Israel with their ungodly influences which helped to destroy the faith and righteousness of the people. He caused Israel to be governed by Rome, with Herod and Pilate at hand. Every part of this drama was pre-arranged by God, so that they would carry out His plan and purpose.
            Is it wrong to purpose to do a wrong, and then to supply the power for the wrong doing? We would say, "Yes." It was wrong, relative to the wicked parties. And yet in the absolute, higher sense, it was right, for it was all apart of the pre-determined plan and purpose of God. We dare not mix the two viewpoints, nor confuse God's part with man's position. The whole point zeros in on the fact that GOD controls the interplay of good and evil, and He measures out the sufficient amount needed for your day, to work out His purpose.
             "We are assured and know that GOD BEING A PARTNER IN THEIR LABOUR, all things work together and are fitting into a plan for good." [Romans 8:28, Amplified].
             "He maketh the wrath of man to praise Him, the remainder of wrath He doth restrain." [Psalm 76:10]. God permits no evil that He cannot in the end-- overrule for good, hence, all evil will result in good before the ages have run their course, and His purpose is consummated. By the time we survey all the evil around us today, with our limited vision, it is hard to see how God can work all of this into good, or even find a cause of why He is using it in this interplay. But there are moments when we find a situation in our own life which begins all bad, which through His sovereign operation of grace is turned up-side-down, and the good that is brought forth amazes us. Praise God, HE IS GOD!
             Consider also the life of Joseph. As a young man he was hated by his brethren, they cast him into a pit, and spared not for his crying. Then they sold him for a slave. Every part of this was wrong, all wrong! Yet as the process moved on, and Joseph's brethren finally came to him, down in Egypt, he said to them, "So now it was not you that sent me hither, BUT GOD. --Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life." [Genesis 45:8, 5].
             Had Joseph considered only the outward circumstances, and the evil action of his brethren, he could have been so filled with hate, that he would have refused to see his brethren, or have anything to do with them. In fact he was now in a position where he could have taken revenge and treated them very cruelly. He knew that it was the hand of God that controlled all the circumstances, and he did not hold it against them.
             Joseph also felt the weight of their self-condemnation, and helped to lift the load by revealing to them the great truth of God's handiwork. And told them they were not to be grieved, nor angry with themselves-- not to be so condemned that they could not look him in the eye and be glad for the time of reunion. That God had used them for instruments of evil, he well knew, and he did not justify them for what they had done, HE LEFT THE JUSTIFICATION IN THE HANDS OF THE LORD, but neither did he condemn them any more. Wrong was wrong, but in the hands of God it could be worked into good, and this is to HIS glory and praise.
             Was it right for Joseph's brethren to do what they did? No! It was heartless, cruel, a very black deed. This was an awful weight on the shoulders of a young lad, and it was a crushing blow to the aged father who dearly loved this son. Here was a quota of evil almost too much to bear.
            BUT THEN COMES THE GOOD. Joseph was disciplined and trained, his youthful pride was subdued, he was in a fiery trial which would purge out the self-exaltation and whatever blemishes of character that needed to be dealt with. No longer would he tell his visions and dreams and glory in the fact that he was the center star. The dreams were true, they were God given, but he needed much refinement before they could be fulfilled. As far as the brethren were concerned, their treatment of Joseph was all wrong, but as far as God's purpose was concerned, it was just right.
             Jacob also reaped what he sowed. His past included many devious works and deceptions, including when he deceived his own father. Now he in turn was deceived by his own sons as they brought him Joseph's coat which they had dipped in blood, and made as though a wild animal had killed the lad. Reaping what you sow is not easy, but it was working into the spirit of Jacob some needed purification.
             And then the brethren--ah, what bitter sorrow they experienced, and were softened, their consciences which were too dull to hear the crying of their brother when they cast him into a pit, and when he was led down the road, sold as a slave, now their conscience was quickened, and they remembered their evil deeds, and what repentance followed. "Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance, for godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation." [2 Corinthians 7;9-10]. Our rejoicing is not because a man is beat down to his socks, thoroughly subdued, but rather that this sorrow works a repentance, a real change of mind. We are grateful that God has a means whereby this can be accomplished, though we glory not in the means itself. No chastening for the present is joyous, but grievous, it is in the "nevertheless afterwards" that we find a peaceable fruit of righteousness which causes us to rejoice.
             We read, "Thine own wickedness shall correct thee..." [Jeremiah 2:19], and so it was with Joseph's brethren, as they also began to reap the fruit of their own doing, it brought a correction into their lives.
            Applying the principle of "overcoming evil with good," Joseph gave them their needed sacks of grain, and then even replaced their money in the top of the sacks. Such good overwhelmed them, and being smitten by their own conscience, for they knew they did not deserve any such treatment, they judged this act of kindness by their own evil motives, and were sure that a scheme of evil was plotted against them. And then the fear of their own mis-deeds overtook them and they suffered and squirmed under the strain while the whole thing was slowly adjusted and resolved. This is a hard way to learn what is wrong, but praise God, we are thankful that God is so great that He can use the backslidings to purge the backslider.
             Nor does the record end with Joseph, his brethren, and his father all being benefited by this processing, for the Egyptians also were blessed, as Joseph was placed in a position to "preserve life." The influence of good was expanded and multiplied so that even the surrounding nations could come down to Egypt and buy corn, and thus be spared through the famine. Thus, even years later, after Jacob had passed away, and the brethren were still remembering back to their deeds, and again sought Joseph's forgiveness, he re-affirmed to them, "Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive." [Genesis 50:19-20].
             We will not call evil good, evil is evil. "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter." [Isaiah 5:20]. But this we are able to say, our God is able to take all evil and work it into good, though He has to turn everything upside down in the process.
             "The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good." [Proverbs 15:3]. HE, and He alone controls the interplay, and knows just how much evil to bring to bear upon us, and how much good to bring in, while the whole is used to develop and mature us into His sons. "Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world." [Acts 15:18]. And we are persuaded that "nothing can happen outside of God's will," but ultimately all things shall redound to His praise.
             "Therefore hath the Lord watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the Lord our God is righteous in all His works which He doeth: for we obeyed not His voice." [Daniel 9:14]. Disobedience must be corrected, and GOD sovereignly watches over the evil which He uses as part of that chastening process. We are not at the mercy of negative forces, we are under the sovereign care of our Creator. HE sets the bounds for evil, and sufficient unto the day is the quota allowed, but it shall not destroy thee forever, even if God allows it to bring you down to hell.
            "Ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem...and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, saith the Lord God." [Ezekiel 14:22-23].
             When the race is run, the books are tallied, and the whole purpose is consummated, all creation shall be comforted, and understand that God had a wise design in view, and that evil was allowed to exist because HE had a purpose in view, and when that victory is accomplished the means to the end will be abolished. Evil will cease to exist, but the good which was brought forth shall redound to His praise.
             How would we learn forgiveness if there was nothing to forgive ? Hence He sends the wrongs, teaches us how to forgive, and gives us the joy of doing so. It is written, "Go and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy." Thus we find ourselves in many situations where we need to exercise His grace, and show mercy. The wrong, the evil-used to teach us things which we could learn no other way.
             Yet we would be admonished, GOD controls the interplay. We are not to try and "play god" in other peoples lives. By His grace we would be His vessels of mercy, and yet neither would we condemn those who for a time are vessels of wrath, for in due time they, too, must be restored.

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