Proverbs 23:17-18

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.

Proverbs 23:17-18

There is an implicit juxtaposition between the temporal and eternal in these two verses. As Christians, our citizenship is in heaven, but for now, we are sojourners in the world. As we navigate our earthly life, we can become distracted by the things of the world. We see our neighbor’s nice car or newly remodeled house and begin to envy his lifestyle, dragging our minds into a preoccupation with the things of the world rather than the things of God.

The solution is to set our minds on the Lord and His ways. Doing so prevents things from entering our hearts that crowd out God. Our motivation should not be earthly gain but hope in our eternity with God. Why not make an effort to focus on God for the entirety of the day since we will do so for eternity?

Focused on Him,

Pastor Jeff Mericle