Proverbs 23:17-18; 24:10-20 (CB)

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. . . . Do not fret because of evildoers or be envious of the wicked, for the evildoer has no future hope, and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.

Envy stems from wrong preoccupations. First, we are obsessed with what we think we deserve. Our hearts refuse to remember grace and instead think only of what we have earned. Second, we are preoccupied with the present. The solution is to look up to the Lord (23:17b) and look ahead in hope (23:18). That is, we should realize that our true reward is based on God’s grace. Also we should remember that in the end, believers will not lack anything (Psalm 17:15). Christians have a way of “looking up” that Proverbs could not provide. Jesus did not complain about experiencing death when he deserved life—all so we could have life when we deserved death. Jesus was the most unenvious human being who ever lived. When you realize what he did for you, it will begin to erode your envy. If he didn’t complain when he received a life infinitely worse than he deserved, why should we complain when all of us get a life infinitely better than we deserve? Can you see how much less you enjoy life because you think so much about what you deserve? How can you use the gospel—the example of Jesus—to help you stop that?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, you did not deserve the death you got—but you did not begrudge it. And I do not deserve the salvation I got through your suffering, but you do not begrudge that either. I praise you for your generous spirit and ask that you reproduce it in me. Amen.