Have you ever noticed how easy it is to get resentful? It doesn’t start out that way.
You have a friend/neighbor/acquaintance who has something good happen.
You are happy for them. But then as you maybe see more good stuff happening, you being to sense some resentment.
Why him? Why her? Why not me?
It’s easy to have that happen. It gets particularly bad when that other person is not a Christ-follower. Take a look around. You see a Marxist-someone who is supposedly opposed to capitalism-getting rich off people and spending gobs of money on houses, land, possessions, etc. All while decrying the rich.
Then there is the atheist- vitriolic toward God and His people- being honored for their godlessness and all the while drawing others into their godlessness.
Psalm 53 speaks to that attitude.
First, he says that only a fool says, “There is no God.”
Second, he says they are “corrupt, and their actions are evil.”
Third, they will find out soon enough that all is not right in their world. Verse 5 is rather explicit: “Terror will grip them, terror like they have never known before. God will scatter the bones of your enemies. You will put them to shame, for God has rejected them.” (NLT)
Here on earth. Stand in judgment before God. Either way they lose. My thought is this is “prophetic” speaking of their end. They may seem to have it all here, but in the end, it is worthless chaff. And they will find out that the God they denied existed…does.
Ooooops. Or is that uh-oh?
“Father, help me not to get resentful or jealous of what others have. Ultimately, it is nothing But let me rejoice in You.”
My resentment kicked into overdrive over the last year. Not sure I am ready to let it go to be 100% transparent. I know I should… but there are times I guess that I just want to be angry. Probably not healthy, but there it is. My resentment comes in when the hard work of people is taken for granted and then pushed to those who have chosen not to work in the form of free unemployment with no strings attached… Yeah… makes my blood boil a bit. I need a double dose of prayer time this morning… just typing this out has struck a bit of a nerve.
Yeah I have to admit some struggle in that area also Ryan. The lack of dignity of some people; the government giving people a “free” ride (except that I’m paying for it) makes my blood boil. i tell myself that I can’t fix it so let it go.
Those who deny God and commit evil will be judged and punished, if not in this life, than certainly in the life to come. I’m almost constantly reflecting upon these types of verses in the Psalms.
Blessings, Bill!
You are right martha. And I changed my initial post by taking out about how it will comes to “roost” some day and I am not sad about it sometimes. I should be though since they will lose everything.
When we follow Christ we have it all… and more abundantly. The fool may have it all materially, but often he throws it all away carelessly…
You are right Ed. That is one of the main reasons we need to keep our eyes on Jesus.