May 24

May 24 - Today from Proverbs 24 we look at verses 19 & 20
"Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of the wicked, for the evil man has no future hope, and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out."

It just doesn't seem fair that so many unscrupulous people are so well off. I thought that God was a 'just' God. All around us it appears that the ambitious - those who shave corners, who make the numbers favor them, who connive, who either don't believe in God or they put their relationship with Him way down on their priorities list - live the lives of 'the rich and the famous' -- while so many good people - those who are always looking out for the welfare of others, who conduct their tasks with integrity, who follow a sound moral work ethic, who keep their relationship with God at the head of their priority list - get taken advantage of and get trampled in the race to riches and fame. Sure, there are exceptions, but the rule is that the wicked prosper far more often than the righteous.
Terrible attitude, isn't it. Yet human nature, being the way it is, is always looking to the other side of the fence. We are 'time and space' related creatures. If justice is not served within the limited boundaries of our little time on this earth, we sense that injustice prevails. As believers, we are to live with a totally different perspective -- we are eternal beings, just like our Father. God has assured us that in the culmination of time, perfect justice will be rendered forever. FOREVER! Try to imagine what comparison eighty years is to forever. There is no comparison. It's like comparing the blink of an eye with the Pacific Ocean. Not only is there a vast difference in perception, they are not even in the same category. Eternity is not measured by time. It's in a class of its own. That's why we need to stop measuring justice by time. It will be measured by eternity. I know, I can't get my mind around it either.
But, when we measure justice by eternity instead of time, then we can begin to realize that unscrupulous people are not well off. I don't care how many houses they have, how fat their bank account is, how big their yacht is or how high up on the social ladder they sit -- if they fail to come to grips with the reality of a righteous God and His eternal justice, they are to be pitied by the poorest, most destitute believer on the face of the earth. They are doomed to an eternity of poverty - a poverty they never knew existed - existing forever in the absence of the grace of God. God's grace is the essence of light, of life, of love, of all that is good in this world. Even the most wicked benefit each day from God's grace. It is so 'common' that we hardly give a thought as to what it would be like to live - or the better phrase, to exist - in a place where there is absolutely no grace. It is the place we all deserve, for we all fall short of the glory of God.
But, God's grace is greater than even our sin. He provided perfect justice for mankind when He took the penalty for our sin upon Himself at Calvary. It was there that eternal justice was met when He became our sin and died in our place. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me." (Mark 15:34). In a mystery that we will never comprehend, Jesus Christ experienced the absence of the Father's grace that day, so that all who place their trust in Him will never have to experience it. Hallelujah!!! Our great hope is that one day, we will experience the absolute fullness of His grace - FOREVER! Now, that's prosperity!
We needn't feel ashamed when our human nature takes over and we begin to envy the wicked. The Psalmists struggled with the very same issues. God inspired them to write Psalms 37 and 73, so that any time we need it, we can get a perspective adjustment and get on with serving God with integrity, knowing that He has all things under control. And we can know that in the end (of time), all scales will be balanced and those who remained faithful to the end will find true prosperity - for all eternity. That, dear saints, is the Blessed Hope. It is ours in Christ Jesus. Amen.