Monday February 27th, 2023
Meditate on : Psalms 37:1 NET Bible
« Do not fret when wicked men seem to succeed! Do not envy evildoers! »
Read: Psalms 37: 1-9 CSB
1 Do not be agitated by evildoers; do not envy those who do wrong.
2 For they wither quickly like grass and wilt like tender green plants.
3 Trust in the Lord and do what is good; dwell in the land and live securely.
4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.
5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act,
6 making your righteousness shine like the dawn, your justice like the noonday.
7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; do not be agitated by one who prospers in his way, by the person who carries out evil plans.
8 Refrain from anger and give up your rage; do not be agitated—it can only bring harm.
9 For evildoers will be destroyed, but those who put their hope in the Lord will inherit the land.
Understand:
In today’s Bible reading, the Lord instructs us three times not to fret (worry or be envious) over the prosperity of evildoers.
This should indicate to us how important this issue is to His heart, and it should also establish the fact that the righteous can fall into temptation of aligning with evildoers because of their prosperity.
We must not get carried away by the “success” of unbelievers, especially when they dangle their evil carrots at us so that we can join them in their unrighteous deeds.
Even Asaph, a chief Levite, was faced with the dilemma. In Psalm 73:3-8 GNT, he confessed as follows:
3 because I was jealous of the proud when I saw that things go well for the wicked.
4 They do not suffer pain; they are strong and healthy.
5 They do not suffer as other people do; they do not have the troubles that others have.
6 And so they wear pride like a necklace and violence like a robe;
7 their hearts pour out evil, and their minds are busy with wicked schemes.
8 They laugh at other people and speak of evil things; they are proud and make plans to oppress others.
He was in this state until God opened his heart to comprehend the final destiny of all unbelievers (Psalm 73:17-22).
In like manner, so many children of God are becoming envious of sinners today.
If you feel this way, God is asking me to tell you that your godliness is not in vain.
He is taking account of your watchfulness in doing His will, and in due season, He will show the wicked world that you were right and they were wrong.
Beloved, it is a lie of the devil when people tell you that everyone is crooked and so you should join them in being corrupt.
Just as He did in Elijah’s time, God has reserved in this generation an unimaginable number of His children who have made up their minds to follow Him wholly (1 Kings 19:14&18).
The story was told of two soldiers during the reign of terror in the Soviet Union, who stormed the meeting place of some Christians and threatened to kill whoever confessed Jesus Christ. They also gave the opportunity of freedom to those who wanted to change their minds on their faith. Unfortunately, some of these Christians denied Christ and were allowed to go. Once they had left, the soldiers shut the door and revealed their true identities as children of God. They deliberately did what they did to weed out false brethren so that they could safely worship with true Christians.
Today, ungodliness is in vogue because it seems to pay off. It is not true, beloved of God, especially when you consider what becomes of unbelievers at the end of their lives.
I encourage you to stay on the path of holiness because whosoever endures to the end shall experience the ultimate in God’s salvation (Matthew 10:22).
Prayer point: Father, please help me to keep holding fast to the word of salvation till I see You in glory.
Author: Pst E. A. Adeboye.
Edited by Naomie
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