Sometimes I look around myself at all of the things that are happening in the world, and I become discouraged. Does it seem to anyone else that oftentimes people do bad things and then just get let off the hook? Then a good person who loves God and strives to always follow after Him has their world fall to pieces and all of the bad things seem to happen to them? I know that this is not always the case, but it feels like it a lot of the time. Maybe it's just me... But hey, that's what this blog is for, right? Sharing my heart with all of you. 

At any rate, as I was reading in Proverbs the other day I came across a verse that I had highlighted before. It made me start thinking about what I just mentioned. 

'Do not let your heart envy sinners, but live in the fear of the LORD always. Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.'

Proverbs 23:17-18

Do not let your heart envy sinners. Why should I envy the sinners?  When I first started thinking about this a few days ago, the thought popped into my head that the reason that one might begin to be envious of people who do bad things is because it sometimes seems like they are never punished. They just get to continue frolicking around wreaking havoc, and they get to get away with it. In trying to reason this out in my head I thought about how it sometimes seems like people who eat McDonalds every day of their life don't have any health problems, or at least don't act like they feel terrible. People who try to eat healthy, on the other hand, and do good things for their bodies sometimes seem to have a lot more issues. Does anyone else think that's a little confusing and messed up? Maybe I'm the only one who really has that thought, whether or not it's actually true (I'm sure that people who do eat McDonalds every day of their life aren't particularly health... This is just an example.) My point is that for me it's easy to think of how much easier it is for people who don't fear God to live their lives. Has anyone else had that thought? 

...Live in the fear of the LORD always...

Live in the fear of the Lord. Let's break this down, shall we? What is living? To live somewhere is to dwell. To make a certain place a home where you spend your days. Where are we supposed to live? In the fear of the Lord, the verse says. To live in the fear of the Lord is to believe with your whole heart that God has the whole world in His hands. Remember that song we learned when we were children? Our Heavenly Father has everything in His complete control. That is what faith is... Believing that God has it all 100 percent of the time, and that His plans are good and for our benefit. 

As people who strive to live lives set-apart for God, things might seem harder for us than for sinners. It's persevering under trial, remembering that even though it seems like the wicked aren't punished for the evil things that they may do, we have a much greater reward than what is or isn't given to us in this world. The righteous, even if they are put under heavy attack and trail do have a reward, while the wicked do not. The righteous people live in the fear of the Lord like the verse says and trust that He will be their sustenance. 

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, for once he has been approved he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 

James 1:12

When we believe with our whole hearts that God has it all in His hands, there is not need for us to become hopeless when sinners seem to prosper. The verse in Proverbs continues on and says that "there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off."

I love the way that it says that. 

There is a future. 

Our lives don't just end. They continue on, and on and on. 

Do not grow weary in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not lose heart.

Galatians 6:9

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans to prosper you, not for calamity; plans to give you a future and a hope."

Jeremiah 29:11

I am so thankful that we serve a loving God who has plans to prosper us, to give us a future and a hope and who gives us crowns of life when we continue to run the race even when there are hardships. Surely, there is a future. Our hope is never cut off when God is on our side.