Proverbs 22:17-23:35
Let not your heart envy sinners,
but continue in the fear of the LORD all the day.
Surely there is a future,
and your hope will not be cut off.Proverbs 21:17-18
With all the advertising that gets thrown at us, with all the unreality we soak in from Hollywood, with all the material prosperity of the obviously-not-so-righteous around us, it can be hard not to envy sinners. The sinner’s life seems easy. They cheat and get away with it, bribing their way out of trouble. They speak arrogantly and abuse others, all the while enjoying material success. At least, that can be our perception, as in the first half of Psalm 73.
But that limited perception is not the whole story. We would do well to maintain a broader perspective and remember the LORD, as in the second half of Psalm 73. In Christ, we do indeed have a bright future and hope, far better than anything that might tempt us toward envy in this world.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
Romans 8:18
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