How many times have you wished for something in life and gotten exactly what you wanted, only to discover the grass wasn't as green as you'd imagined?
Too often, we wish for what we don't have. We look at other people's circumstances and compare them to our own. Frequently, we judge our own situation to be worse than our neighbor's -- our car to be older; our house, smaller; our job, more difficult; our income, less. As a result of these judgments, we can find ourselves feeling down, disappointed, even ungrateful for the many blessings that surround us day by day.
I've heard people question why it seems like some "sinners" have it all -- big house, lots of money, sporty cars, top of the line everything, easy jobs -- while the "good folks" of the world are struggling to get by. I've heard people ask why God seems to bless those who live in sin.
To be honest, I've thought the same thing at times. Why do these people who seem to care nothing about the Lord, who care nothing about what's right and wrong, who care nothing about other people -- why are they "blessed" instead of me?
Then, I think of Job.
Job knew hardship. He knew what it was like to look around at the apparent prosperity of the wicked while his own life was falling apart. In Chapter 21, Job addresses the same question many of us have today: Why do the wicked seem to prosper? Read closely what he says here:
7 Why do the wicked live on,
growing old and increasing in power?
8 They see their children established around them,
their offspring before their eyes.
9 Their homes are safe and free from fear;
the rod of God is not on them.
10 Their bulls never fail to breed;
their cows calve and do not miscarry.
11 They send forth their children as a flock;
their little ones dance about.
12 They sing to the music of timbrel and lyre;
they make merry to the sound of the pipe.
13 They spend their years in prosperity
and go down to the grave in peace.[a]
14 Yet they say to God, ‘Leave us alone!
We have no desire to know your ways.
15 Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him?
What would we gain by praying to him?’ 1
16 But their prosperity is not in their own hands,
so I stand aloof from the plans of the wicked.
17 “Yet how often is the lamp of the wicked snuffed out?
How often does calamity come upon them,
the fate God allots in his anger?
In verses 7-13, Job ponders the prosperity of those who choose to not follow God, and he comes to a wonderful observation in verses 14-15. Those who prosper in a life apart from God see no reason, no reward, for following His will for their lives. Apply this to your own life: under what circumstances have you felt you needed God the most? Was it when life was going great or when you faced a tragedy or hardship you couldn't conquer on your own? For me, it's the latter. I'm grateful for God and His presence in my life every day; however, I'm doubly - nay, triply - grateful for His presence when I'm facing trials. How blessed we are to have been placed in situations where we NEED God!
In the end, God blessed Job for his faithfulness with even more than he had lost, and God is going to bless His children in Heaven far more than we deserve. The wicked won't be as lucky, so next time you feel discouraged by the apparent success of those who aren't following Christ, remember that this life is as good as it will ever get for those who haven't turned their hearts over to Christ.
Job 24:22-24:
22 But God drags away the mighty by his power;
though they become established, they have no assurance of life.
23 He may let them rest in a feeling of security,
but his eyes are on their ways.
24 For a little while they are exalted, and then they are gone;
they are brought low and gathered up like all others;
they are cut off like heads of grain.
Instead of being bitten by the green monster of jealousy or wishing you could have the green pastures your "successful" neighbor seems to have, realize that the grass is greener in Heaven than you can even imagine! Instead of coveting their lot, pray for those who don't know Christ as their Savior because no matter how "well off" they may seem to be, their lives are nothing without Jesus.
Very well said! Matthew 6:20 says, But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
ReplyDeleteIf God takes care of the birds and provides a meal and shelter for them, then how much more will He provide for His children who love Him? I may not have all the material things that I want, but I have an over flow of the things that I need! Thank you "Daddy" for giving me life more abundantly!