Prov. 23:17-19

"Do not let your heart envy sinners, But be zealous for the fear of the LORD all the day; For surely there is a hereafter, And your hope will not be cut off. Hear, my son, and be wise; And guide your heart in the way" Prov. 23:17-19

Some things are hard to grasp. Where do square fish come from so that fast-food shops can make square fish sandwiches? Why do we play a round of golf, but we square dance? Why does a business have to tell the truth about his product, but politicians can lie about each other? Why does a can of dog food have more nutritional information on it than a jar of baby food? Why are women's size 6 shoes smaller than a man's size 6 shoe? Why do British drivers drive on the left side of the road and some other drivers in the world drive on the right side? Why does it "rain cats and dogs" and not "catfish and bass"? Why do sinners become rich and the righteous live in comparative poverty?

It appears that Solomon wondered about that last item as well for he warns his son to refrain from envying sinners. What is there about the sinner that is worthy of envy? There could be several things, I suppose, that could appear to be desirable. 1) Wealth. 2) Power. 3) Lifestyle. 4) Beautiful women (or handsome men) hanging on every word spoken. 5) PARTIES!!!! 6) Health (or the ability to buy the best medical attention possible.) Does that cover most of the reasons you could think about?

OK. Now let's look at reasons NOT to envy those same people. 1) Happiness. While wealth wrongfully acquired might by smiles and parties and beauty, that wealth will not buy happiness. When the party is over, another one must be planned, bigger and better than the last. Beauty fades, even with the best of plastic surgeons (ask Phyllis Diller!!) 2) Power. Power is a fleeting thing, and it corrupts as completely as flies corrupt pie left outside. 3) Contentment. If you think a sinful man is content, look again. Why do you think the Purple Pill is so popular? Contented people sleep at night, without reflux. 4) Peace. There is a difference between contentment and peace. Contentment has to do with things. We can be content with a few things. Peace is a state of the spirit.

Sometimes we forget that the future is long in coming. The future is more than tomorrow or next week or next year. The future is eternal, and where we spend THAT is much more important than the next fifty or sixty years. All the wealth and power this world has to offer is not worth one second in Hell!!!

So, we would be wise to follow the admonition of Solomon to his son. "Listen, my son, and be wise, And direct your heart in the way." And what is the way? Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the father but by me." Hallelujah, Amen and Amen.