APRIL 11
Psalm 73:26, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
Though I haven’t been there in years, I have a favorite restaurant near the coast that I love to visit. Not only is the food delicious, but the portions are so large that I can never finish them in one sitting. When I’m there, I have no reason to envy anyone else for what they’re eating.
The psalmist faced a problem—he was envious of the prosperity of the wicked. Despite knowing that envy was a grievous sin (one of the Ten Commandments addresses it), he couldn’t help but desire what the wicked had. They seemed to prosper, accumulating wealth, while he, in contrast, faced hardship in his efforts to live righteously. To him, they appeared exempt from the common burdens that weighed others down. Despite their prideful and godless attitudes, they seemed unburdened.
But God opened the psalmist’s eyes to two important truths. Though the wicked appeared to live trouble-free lives, a time would come when they would face God’s judgment and be “swept away utterly by terrors” (Psalm 73:19). Beyond that, the psalmist realized the immense value of his relationship with the Lord. Even though his flesh and heart might fail, he had God as his strength and enduring portion. Or, as the hymn “Great is Thy Faithfulness” puts it, in God’s faithfulness, he possessed “strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.”
The psalm speaks to an important reality: the poorest among us is, in fact, rich if he possesses Christ. Conversely, one can be incredibly wealthy yet spiritually bankrupt without Him. The believer’s portion in Christ is “the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Ephesians 3:8). Indeed, he possesses “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:3). This eternal portion is accompanied by His strength to endure the trials and troubles we all face. Consider, for instance, the two dear hospice patients who passed away this past week. Though their flesh and hearts failed, they had faith in God and have now received their heavenly reward in the manifold riches He had prepared for them. If you trust in Jesus, you are incredibly blessed in knowing Him as your Lord and Savior. A safeguard against the temptation to envy is the realization of that reality!
When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings, money cannot buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.
“Count Your Blessings” — Author: Johnson Oatman, Jr. (1897)
Application questions: Are you sometimes tempted to envy what others have? How can maintain a focus on the blessings you now possess work to safeguard you from that? Do you consider Jesus to be your strength and your portion even now? Pray for a greater realization of this reality.
LookingtoJesus 