Not long ago I came across this simple but important thought from Solomon…

The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight. 

(Proverbs 15:8)

The Lord is revolted by the worship of the wicked (“the sacrifice is an abomination,” Solomon says). Take a moment and consider that. A wicked person may go to the right place, say the right words, and do the right things, and walk away just as condemned as before. He can go, say, and do all that God told him, and still God will observe where he went, what he said, and what he did…and be angry.

Why? Because the Lord looks at the heart. This is a “wicked” person doing these things. Wickedness is about the intent as much as it is the action, which means your actions might not be wicked, but if your heart is then so are you. Can a righteous person do a wicked deed? Not purposefully. If a righteous person purposes in his heart to do wicked then he is a wicked person. He can repent and change, sure, but until then, he is wicked.

On the other hand, can a wicked person do a righteous deed? Yes, without question. It’s easy. It happens all the time. The trouble today is many want to be the judges of men’s actions, since we’re unable to be the judges of men’s hearts. God, however, tells us to leave Judgment to Him. He knows the actions and the heart.

People want to judge actions and say “this person did good therefore he is good.” That is not how God judges. The Lord looks at the heart and says “this person’s heart was bad, therefore he is bad.” If the heart is good, good actions will follow. If the heart is bad, no good actions will matter to the Lord. Can a wicked person pray to the Lord? Yes, but if his prayer isn’t “forgive me,” followed by a genuine effort to improve, then it remains an abomination to the Lord. The prayer of the upright (in heart) is where His delight is found.

What happens when a wicked person does a good deed? Does he “score points” with the Almighty? No. He remains wicked and will continue to be wicked until he develops a good heart.

~Matthew