Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 73:15-22
Ps 73:15-22
15 If I had said, "I will speak thus," I would have betrayed your children. 16 When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me 17 till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. 18 Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. 19 How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors! 20 As a dream when one awakes, so when you arise, O Lord, you will despise them as fantasies. 21 When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, 22 I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you.
2 Cor 4:17-18
17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
In summary, the Psalmist has said that he looks around him and what he sees is very depressing. The wicked prosper and their life is filled with ease while those who seek the Lord are struggling financially and are facing new problems at every turn. In fact, these wicked ones are the cause of many of the problems we face in serving God. This makes us want to just give up and quit trying. Is it worth it?
As he ponders this question, the “light comes on” and he realizes that the answer is obvious. We are not living for just this world. Just because we face problems now does not mean that God is not in control or that the wicked will not be punished. Life is not about now. Life is about eternity. The worst we can face now is nothing compared to the glory of what we have coming in the life to come.
John says we are not to love the world or the things in the world because these will all pass away. Things perish with using. Our possessions (no matter how great or small) will rust, rot, be lost or stolen. If we manage to hold on to them, we will die and leave them all behind. There is no lasting value to material things. Jesus said that a man’s life does not consist of the abundance of his possessions. He also said that there is no profit if we gain the whole world and lose our soul.
Heavenly Father increase my faith, so I will love you more than all else in life. Help me keep my eyes focused on eternity and the things above instead of the things of this world. Instead of wanting more and making things my life, help me want to use all I have been given to your glory. Give me a heart to help others as I have opportunity. Keep me from being selfish. I do thank you for all I have because you have blessed me far beyond what I need or dreamed possible. Lord, many dear friends are facing real problems now and I ask you to be with them and give them your peace and your healing. I pray in the name of Jesus my Lord.
Robert
