Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 73:1-7
Ps 73:1-7
Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills. Therefore, pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence. From their callous hearts comes iniquity; the evil conceits of their minds know no limits.
James 5:1-4
Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.
There are times that it seems that serving God is a waste of time. In fact, it is worse than wasting time, serving him actually makes matters worse. People make fun of us and others make life harder for us. Friends abandon us and co-workers want nothing to do with us. This is in addition to the times we get passed up for a promotion or when we have to tell the boss we cannot do something because it is dishonest, we get penalized for it. The rich get richer and the godly suffer.
As we get close to the end of this Psalm, we will see that while it seems this way, we are not seeing the end of things. God sees. He notices. The Lord is taking it all into account. Nothing is hidden from his eyes, and all is laid bare before him.
Life is not always as it seems because life is not about this world. Wealth is not the ultimate blessing or endorsement by God. An easy life is not to be equated with a godly person or an acceptable life. In addition to this, most seemingly successful and wealthy people have hearts that are laden with guilt and lives filled with all kinds of troubles. They may hide these things, but they live with them daily. All of the glamour is a mere façade and not a real way of life, even for them.
O Lord God, help me be content with what you have given me. Remind me that you only allow me to have what is best for me, and too much stuff may not be what I need or what I can handle. Thank you for the limits you put in my life. Use me to help others with the blessings you shower on me. Thank you for my health, and thank you for my friends, and thank you for the hard times that equip me to use my experiences and my abilities to help others who are struggling in life. Be merciful to me and forgive me when I fail. I come to you in Jesus’ name.
Robert
