Don't be Deceived

"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 23:17-18

 

The two verses above account for the fourteenth saying in a list of thirty wise sayings listed in this portion of the book of Proverbs.  I think that this is such a wise saying that effortlessly proves timeless.  Today, we live in a society of urgency.  We want things now and we feel entitled to get things when we want them.  This is only urged on by the age of social media.  We can quickly pull a 6 inch rectangle out of our pockets and thumb through pictures and posts telling us that we don't measure up.  We see posts of what people and 'influencers', want us to see about their lives, ultimately with the goal to sell us on products to lead us to a life we think we need.  Because of the stretch of social media and the like, we have become a society that is in a constant state of envy.  We scroll through timelines, that, by purposeful design, have no end.  Only with the purpose of selling us on a life that not only doesn't lead to peace and joy, but will end up having us feeling more empty, worthless, depressed, stressed, and anxious, feeling like we can't measure up to everyone and anyone else.  The problem is that what we are trying to measure up to is just a mirage in the first place.  We can be easily deceived that posts on social media or on TV are real life because we can so easily become consumed by these images.  The scripture above provides us the wise guidance in these sorts of situations in our lives.  We are told not to envy things that are not of God, in fact we are not to envy at all.  Envy can lead to other sins because we become consumed in our flesh to get the object of our envy, which ultimately can lead to lying, cheating, and perhaps even deceiving.  Rather, we are to continue to fear the Lord.  What scripture means by "fear the Lord", is to have a reverence or respect for God.  We are not revering the Lord very highly when we lead lives that envy all of the creation, and not the Creator.  We should trust that God has a "future, and that [our] hope will not be cut off".  God has a plan and a purpose for all of us, but it doesn't include envying what other people have, (or what you think they have).  Jesus tells us to "seek first the kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" (Matt. 6:33).  When we follow Jesus, we have faith that He will provide all and any material things we need in this life, and we are solely to seek Him first in all we do and say.  Today, meditate and spend time with the Lord.  Ask yourself if you are being consumed in your spirit by envy of others' and what they have?  Are you striving to compare out with others or are you striving in fear of the Lord?  Trust that He has your best interest in mind, and that He surely has a future and a hope for you.  A hope that is not of this world, but is even greater!  And in the meantime, we can trust that as we follow Jesus, seeking Him first, He will provide all we need to life lives of abundant joy, peace, and love, while on this side of glory!  Love you all!  Praying for you and yours!  Have a blessed day, it's your choice!