Text: “Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity” (Psalm 37:1).
There are many people in the world who prosper at the expense of other people. They use whatever means necessary to take advantage of people. These people are only looking out for themselves. The possession of worldly items is all they care about. Honesty is not in their vocabulary.
In most cases, these people see nothing wrong with the things they are doing. It is like when you do something wrong a number of times that which you are doing seems to be appear right and proper in your mind. The guilt feeling was present at the beginning, but with time and repetition that guilt feeling disappeared.
The world seems to be full of people who do evil things. It appears that people who flourish in accumulating worldly possessions are in control of their destiny. I would venture to say that these people really believe in their heart their actions are justifiable.
They might have a large expensive house, a glorious job, the best automobile on the market and lead a social life envied by their neighbors and friends. They are even looked up to by people in their neighborhood, their church, their work and their families. The people of the world tend to look at worldly possessions, but God looks at what is in the heart.
David tells us not to fret, worry, or get upset because of what other people might have. Have you ever wished for something someone else had? Did the things you could not seem to acquire ever upset you? Did you ever wish you had a house like someone else or a car of great value like the one your neighbor owns?
Did you ever wish you could afford to belong to some of the more elite social clubs, go on expensive vacations, or send your children to private schools instead of the large mediocre public schools? If you did, then you were envious or jealous of what someone else had.
There is a good chance these neighbors are living beyond their means, especially if you know where they work and the job responsibility they have. People can give other people a false impression of their real status in life, but they cannot fool Almighty God.
Those who acquire a higher standard of living by evil means are basically miserable people. They are not God-fearing people. They show no interest in the spiritual realm of life. The interest of these people is centered on the physical aspects of life. They have no conscience so the little voice within their body is not heard. Other people soon take notice at what appears to be the ultimate in living.
“Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity” (Psalm 37:1). Why should we not fret, worry or be upset when other people seem to get all the breaks and always smell like a rose?
We need not fret because of these people because “They will soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb” (Psalm 37:2). Things do not give people lasting satisfaction. The most expensive automobile is only new for a little while then the newness wears off.
After that their interest moves to something else. Total satisfaction is never reached. They are no longer happy and excited about that which was once new. Acquiring a new item or doing a new thing soon becomes a habit. A habit is not really something that someone enjoys. It becomes a strong desire that will soon become a weight for that person. Eventually, the habit will destroy the person.
Constant and continuous gambling is a habit that misuses what God intended to be used for His glory. Alcohol or drinking becomes a habit because the body begins to crave the liquid. Body cells get used to the alcohol and soon demand more and more. The person looses the good sense given by God and life becomes a nightmare for the individual’s family and friends.
God is left out of the person’s life and self-destruction will soon take place. God promises that these people will soon be cut down just as the grass is cut. Do you know what happens to grass after it is cut down with a mower? That is right, it dies.
These people will not last. They, too, will wither like the grass. There is no love, joy, happiness, kindness or self-respect left in the individual. Life had drastically changed and it is obvious to family and friends.
When we fret and get upset about what other people have or the upper-class life style they seem to have, we need not fret or be envious of them because we know they are heading for a downfall. They will lose these earthly possessions. The worldly things a person receives or accumulates might last their lifetime, but the things we get from Almighty God will last for eternity.
These unbelievers who are hoarding worldly possessions only think they are well-off or wealthy. In reality, these people should be looking to the believer and child of God who has things that cannot be taken away from them.
The believer is not concerned about what the world has to offer, but is more concerned what God has to offer. The believer knows God is good and that He is in control of everything. The believers will be at peace with themselves and with God the Father.
There will be a smile upon their face, joy in their heart and a spring in their step. Why? This will be true because their trust is in the Lord their Maker who made heaven and earth. When you trust in the Lord, you will do well. You will live according to the words in red and not the way the world lives.
“Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness” (Psalm 37:3). When one “feeds on His faithfulness” that person enjoys the security God provides. This person has something the rest of the world does not have. If fact the unbeliever will not be able to understand why the child of God is settled, comfortable and at peace.
Scripture tells us to “Delight yourself also in the LORD” (v. 4). When we delight in something, we enjoy it, we are content with it, we are happy and we are overjoyed with it. What does it mean to “Delight yourself also in the LORD” (v. 4)?
When we commit everything we do to the honor and glory of God, we are happy and delighted. We are on the same wavelength with the Father. We know that what we are doing pleases the Father.
God created each of us and He loves us. He did not create anything that was no good or that was useless. He created someone with whom He could communicate. When God created mankind, He was happy and satisfied with His creations.
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth” (Genesis 1:26).
God was very satisfied with everything He created. He was very proud of man and gave man dominion over everything that He created. God was so proud of man that He created man in His own image. Since God has no body, He gave man the attributes or qualities or characteristics He possessed.
Mankind is to reflect the image of Almighty God. When man reflects the image of God, God’s characteristics will show forth through that person. All the worldly things like, achievements or possessions do not mean anything to God or to anyone else. The image of God shining through each of His children is what gives the person a sense of worth and a positive outlook on life.
There are people who are not satisfied with themselves and constantly criticize themselves. They forget that God made them in His image and when they criticize themselves, they are criticizing God.
People who do not have a personal relationship with the Son of God are heading down the wrong road of life. This is exactly what the devil wants. The desire of the devil is to draw people away from God.
Those people who do not have God in their daily living will not be able to withstand the daily trials and tribulations that come upon them. They will be negative instead of positive in their thinking. These are the people who turn to worldly possessions.
They acquire these possessions by whatever means come their way. They steal, cheat, lie, and do whatever they can in an effort to acquire or obtain things. Are we to be jealous of the people and to fret or worry or fuss because we do not have worldly things these people acquired? No!
We are to trust in the Lord, feed on His security and delight in the Lord. We will receive what the Lord has promised to give us and that is “the desires of our heart” (v.4). One could not ask for more. This is the best. This is top-of-the-line stuff.
The desires of the heart talked about do not mean that you are going to get everything you want. Sometimes we ask for things that over time will destroy us. God will grant you the things you need and the things that are best for you. You will have to admit that He knows a lot more about us than we know about ourselves.
Your heart and my heart should be to know God. To know God we have to know His Son Jesus Christ. To know His Son, we have to read the Scriptures, listen to the Word being preached, sing hymns of praise, walk daily in His presence and communicate with Him through prayer.
After we get to know God, only then will we be able to love Him. He loves us regardless of how we feel toward Him. He loves us even after we have made a mess of our lives. He loves us even when we say the wrong words. He loves us when our actions are unbecoming or improper.
He loves us so much that “He sent his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). He wants us to spend eternity with Him in his mansion. How could we not love someone who has given everything for us?
When we get to know God and love Him then we will be able to live for Him. We will be able to please Him in all we do. We will give Him the honor and glory that belongs to Him. These are the desires of the heart.
“Commit your way to the LORD. Trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass” (v. 5). To commit our way to the Lord is to trust Him to guide us in every facet of our life. Total commitment is to lay everything out before God and trust that He knows more than we know.
When we commit ourselves to the Lord, He will know that we will be fully satisfied with what He does for us and the direction in which He leads us. The things we bring to Him, He will bring to pass. This is a promise and He will never break a promise.
“He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light and your justice as the noonday” (v. 6). The time will come when the unbeliever realizes that the believer was right. Righteousness and justice will prevail. God is on the throne and God will judge.
We are to “Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him” (v. 7). When we rest in the Lord, we are placing our life in His hands. We know, without a shadow of doubt, He will work all things to our benefit. We may not understand how or why, but we trust Him. When we wait patiently, we are being silent and submissive.
Knowing these things, we are not to fret and worry because the other person has acquired something worldly through devious means. This person may become rich, widely known and possess the best of everything, but one day the price will have to be paid.
Conclusion:
Our concern for those unbelievers who use deceitful or underhanded means to accumulate worldly possessions should be to let our light shine forth that they may see Almighty God in us causing them to move from the wide and crooked road of destruction to the straight and narrow path of righteousness.
As children of God, we should not be angry with unbelievers or dislike them, but we should love them just as God loves them. We should not be envious of what they have because temptation might cause us to fall and this is the devil’s desire.
All of us who have only a little of God’s goodness are much better off than the deceitful person who has accumulated much of what the world has to offer.
“Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the LOLRD, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:1-4).
Amen.
