Fret Not, Envy Not

” Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!”

“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God”

Psalms 37:1  Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.  Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.

Proverbs 19:3   When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the LORD.

Proverbs 24:1  Be not envious of evil men, nor desire to be with them,

Proverbs 24:19  Fret not yourself because of evildoers, and be not envious of the wicked,

Proverbs 3:31   Do not envy a man of violence and do not choose any of his ways,

Psalms 73:3   For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

Proverbs 23:17  Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the LORD all the day.

James 4:6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

It is very easy to find ourself looking at others and being envious of what they have, how they live, and their apparent happiness.  This is not something new to man.  This is our rooted nature and is a battle with our christian walk.  It is not what we have but who we serve.  It is not the peace and comfort the world gives but the inner strength, hope, peace and joy we have trusting in the everlasting love, sovereignty, and power of our heavenly Father.  Looking at these temporary things of this world it is easy to loose focus and purpose serving God.  They will rob us of true peace and comfort which is only found in humble service, obedience, and desire to honor and glorify God.  We need to keep our eyes on the author and finisher of every thing created.  We need to encourage each other to remain focused, stay the course, and grow in our knowledge, understanding, faith and commitment to God.  Great words from an old hymn;

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.”

Instant Access

“Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come?”

“ Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!”

“Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation.”

“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”

“My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.”

Psalms 62:1   For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.

Psalms 25:5    Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.

Psalms 27:14    Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!

Psalms 33:20   Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.

Psalms 40:1   I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry.

Psalms 123:2   Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he has mercy upon us.

Psalms 130:5  I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;  my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.

Isaiah 30:18    Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.

Isaiah 40:31    but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Lamentations 3:25    The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.

James 5:7   Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.

Waiting patiently is hard.  Trusting and waiting patiently is harder. Knowing, Trusting, and waiting patiently is faith.  Our faith is something that grows (or should grow) based on knowing God in our lives.  Our faith grows as we read His word and believe it.  Our faith grows as we seek God and He reveals Himself to us.  Our faith grows as we learn to hear His whispers of guidance into our lives.  Our faith grows from clinging to His promises. And our faith grows when we patiently wait for Him.  Our culture and technology lead us down a path where everything is available nearly immediately.  We have grown to expect instant response to our wants and needs.  Instant response to many things is not bad.  We can instantly find almost anything at our finger tips.  Many times this seems to help us function and does.  It helps us make decision, take proper care in these decisions and shows us how to accomplish a task unfamiliar to us. Instant access, instant information, and instant response seem to the way we are wired right now.  However, in light of the scriptures above, technology seems to draw and pull us away from seeking, hearing, knowing, and serving God.  Technology seems to have replaced God.  We seem to have lost sight of our need for Him in this world of instant self reliance.  We are instructed to seek Him with all our heart, mind and soul. We have instant access to His word but neglect it.  We are instructed to desire Him but choose to desire things of this world above Him.  We are instructed to serve, honor, follow, and obey Him but have shut our ears to listen for His guidance.  We are told to rely on, trust in, and cling to Him alone but have choose to rely on self.  Our lives will always be in shallow satisfaction apart from being in His purpose and plan.  What disaster or misfortune must come your way before you see need for God?  Choose now  whom you will serve.  Choose now to deny self.  Choose now to seek Him.  Choose now to confess self-reliance and turn away from it.  Choose now to spend time in His word each day.  Choose now to humbly serve Him.  Choose now to honor, follow and obey Him.  Choose now to want to know Him and His plan and purpose for your life.   Choose now to never want to hear at your entry into eternity “Depart from Me, for I never knew you”.  Choose now to purpose each day for God alone.