WOULD WE EXCHANGE THE ETERNAL FOR THE TEMPORAL?
Psalm 37:27-3
27 Turn away from evil and
do good;
so shall you dwell
forever.
28 For
the Lord loves justice;
he will not forsake
his saints.
They are preserved
forever,
but the children of the
wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous
shall inherit the land
and dwell upon it
forever.
Is it really worth it?
Here I am living the kind of life that God wants me to live and I continue to
have problems. I am trusting God and my finances don’t seem to get better. I
live my life according to God’s principles and I still cannot find a job, or
the one I have continues to be unfair. I depend on God and my health continues
to deteriorate. I am trying to be godly and my family relationships never seem
to get better. Is it worth it when there is a cost involved in following Christ
and those that don’t seem to have the blessings I wish I had (and really I
think I deserve)? I have served God faithfully for so many years, I have
endured hardships for such a long time, isn't it time for my trial to be over?
God, are You watching?
Have these thoughts ever
taken place in your life in one shape or another? This psalm is such a
wonderful reminder of the sovereign purposes of God. God’s eternal purposes are
at work! God has never forsaken you, and never will. God’s children need fear neither
the present, nor the future. God is delighted in our godly responses to our
trials and difficulties. God is pleased with the work He is doing in us and
through us, and loves the ultimate results. He loves watching us become more
similar to His beloved Son. He is pleased when our lives cause other believers
to trust and love Him more. A feast is prepared in heaven every time an
unbeliever comes to saving faith, and He uses the testimony of His own to attract
them to Himself.
Is it worth it? It
certainly is, when we keep eternal values in mind!
Do not be enticed to do
evil! If you allow your mind to carry you in the wrong direction, your actions
will be evil.
Those who have their minds
set on things above will act accordingly.
30 The mouth of the
righteous utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks
justice.
31 The law of his God
is in his heart;
his steps do not
slip.
The words, the reactions,
the life of those who truly know and trust their God will be a light to others.
Even though the wicked might take advantage of their godliness, God is still in
total control. The wicked are totally under the control of God.
32 The wicked watches
for the righteous
and seeks to put him to
death.
33 The Lord will
not abandon him to his power
or let him be
condemned when he is brought to trial.
Dear friend, you might be
going through what seems the longest and hardest trial you have ever faced. You
feel like you have been pushed to the brink of despair. You feel hopeless and
crushed. You see no end in sight. But God is not asking you to figure out the
future. He is asking to rest in Him.
He is asking you and me to
weigh our circumstances in light of what is eternal. Would we really exchange
the eternal for temporal, to have some reprieve? Would we exchange the honor of
bringing glory to God for a time of temporal comfort?
Is it hard? Yes, it is. Is
it overwhelming? Some times it seems that way. Is it worth it? It certainly is.
Keep God’s Word in your
heart! Saturate your mind with what is true! Love the character and promises of
God! Walk in righteousness! God is watching, He is wise, He is righteous, He is
powerful, and He loves you.
Romans 8:28-30
28 And we know that for
those who love God all things work together for good, for those
who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom
he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of
his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.30 And
those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he
also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
Many read and love verse
28, but forget to allow God to define “good”. His definition of good is
explained in the following verses. ‘Good’ is to be conformed in the image of
His Son, ‘good’ is the fact that we have been justified and we know that we
will be glorified.
Is it worth it? The answer
for those who love God and are allowing God’s word to shape their affections is
easy: “Certainly, YES”!
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