THERE IS A FUTURE
Proverbs 23:17-18 NKJV
17 Do not let your heart envy sinners,
But be zealous for the fear of the Lord all the day;
18 For surely there is a hereafter,
And your hope will not be cut off.
I spoke about this subject this past Wednesday night in the event you would like more content. The overarching theme was not being envious of other people. Avoid comparisons with people. Comparisons can make us grateful, but often, they leave us envious or smug. Envious when others seem to be doing better and smug when we seem to have the advantage.
Our verse for today warns about being envious of sinners. We’ll go with sinners, meaning those away from God or those who have no relationship with Him. The implication of this verse is that sinners represent those with no regard for God. The challenge of comparing ourselves with those outside of God’s family is that we compare to those who seem to be doing good. So here they are with no respect for God, and yet everything in their life seems to be great.
Firstly, we don’t know what is going on behind the scenes. They may have an amazing amount of quality stuff, but what you don’t know is they could be in debt up to their eyeballs. We just don’t know.
But even if they are doing extremely well, don’t equate their prosperity to their lack of relationship with God. Do not make the determination that living for God is not worth the time and effort. This is why we are to be zealous for the fear of God all the day. The fear of God is a reverence and respect for God. And this reverence is something we are not to let go of. To become envious of those without God, we have to take our eyes off the One who gives us life and breath. And we have forgotten that this life is not all there is.
We have to remind ourselves that there is a life beyond this earth. There is a heaven to gain and a hell to miss. Verse 18 says there is a hereafter or a future. For those who have believed in God and placed their faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, there is a wonderful hereafter. Paul said that to depart and be with Christ is far better than staying here on earth. Side note: don’t leave now; we need you to finish your assignment before checking out. And in this hereafter, this wonderful future that awaits God’s children, our expectation, our hope, will not be cut off. We will not be disappointed with heaven. We will not be lamenting what we didn’t have on earth or how imperfect our life was. What we look forward to is far greater than what we have now. We agree with Paul when he stood before a king in Acts 26:29 and declared he would that everyone be like him. Paul was a prisoner at that time, but he wanted a king to be like him, with the exception of being chained. We pray for sinners. We’re not envious of them because we know that with God, our future looks extremely bright.
PRAYER
Lord, I am grateful to You for my salvation. And I am grateful that my future with You is amazing. This life is short, but my life with You will be forever.