Saturday, January 11, 2014

DO NOT (PART 13) – STAY THE COURSE



Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk.com.

In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord. There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.

Proverbs 23:17-18         

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

NOTE: Will be at sea for the next two weeks and may be off the grid. If I can post, I will. If not, I will begin posting again as soon as I get to where I have connectivity.

The Christian walk is not an easy journey because life isn’t an easy journey. This is something all believers need to keep in mind.

Choosing to dedicate yourself to the Lord, offering yourself as a living sacrifice, doesn’t somehow usher you into some magical existence that is free from suffering or pain or hardship or peril. Life still happens.

Given this, there can be times in the midst of life’s circumstances when we may feel envious of others who seemingly are going through life trouble-free. We might also find confusion intertwined with that envy when we know that the people experiencing plenty in the midst of our want are not believers and rejecting the very Lord we have faithfully obligated ourselves to. In the midst of those emotions, the word of God as found in Solomon’s 15th saying of the thirty “Sayings of the Wise” enters in:

Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord. There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off. Proverbs 23:17-18

Did you catch the “do not” statement as we continue our series of devotions on this theme?

“Do not” let your heart envy sinners.

Why?

Because there is a future hope for all those who hold a deep reverent respect and devotion to the only One who can save them from death and the grave. And it’s that hope that keeps us going on when life gets rough for when the going gets tough, the tough, those who are strong in the Lord, keep going. There is no quit in those who are in the Lord because they serve a Lord who never quits. This should always drive us to a consistent and persistent zealousness for the Lord - for all He has been, for all He is, and for all He is yet to be.

The Christian walk may be difficult but there is no more exciting, thrilling way to live. To commune and walk with the Lord through good times and bad should bring us to a passionate, unrivaled enthusiasm and zest for life, buoyed up by the faith and hope in Jesus which promises us a day when we will be free from hardship and difficulty and disease and infirmity and sin, a day when we will be living in the light and love of the Father and the Son forever more.

Yes friends, there is a great future hope for all those who are in Christ Jesus, a hope that can never be cut off. Let us rejoice and be glad in that, allowing the joy of the Lord to be our strength through whatever life brings.

Life is tough but the Lord is tougher. Remember that and stay the course no matter what.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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