Proverbs 23:17 Let not thine heart envy sinners; but be thou in fear of the Lord all day long.
Oh my wonderful Friends in Christ, on this beautiful weekend when we’re all getting together to rejuvenate our souls and spirits through thanks, praise and worship of our Glorious God, I have to share a small testimony of His unending goodness. Hn! I hope that exuberant opening had everybody sitting up expectantly. (smile) Well it’s just that yesterday I couldn’t decide on a Bit for the quote I wanted to use, but today, within a few minutes, the decision was made. Praise the Lord! And there were also plenty to choose from, as you will realize when you read the quote from a man of letters, who also had a great passion and propensity for good living; the one and only Oscar Wilde. And Oscar says that ‘To most of us the real life is the life we do not lead.’ And did he ever hit the nail right on mih people! Why is that? Because if you went around and asked each person in this world if they were satisfied with their life style, most would claim dissatisfaction. That’s partly because the grass always seems greener on the other side, which it is not, and most of us hunger for the supposedly glamorous and exciting life, lived by the rich and famous. Unfortunately though, a lot of things and people we consider glamorous and exciting are really boring and pedantic, it’s just a contrived image. Most of them are just like us, do the same things we do, just possibly on a higher monetary scale. And all this fascination with the jet-setting world… Chuh! That isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, for like everything else when done to the extremes, that too becomes boring, tiring and mundane after a while. You can only get on so many fancy private planes and yachts to so many ritzy places and parties before both the body and mind rebel, become satiated and dulled by too much high living. Oh I know many of us will still choose the wine, women and song over hard, backbreaking labour, but Friends, it’s those very same emotions of envy, jealousy, keeping up with the Jones’, that have our world in such an awful, ungodly turmoil. Sol says it loud and clear: ‘Let not thine heart envy sinners.’ What part of that don’t we understand eh people? We obviously don’t listen to Bruh David either when he says: ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.’ (Ps.37:1-2) Oh Friends, negative emotions like envy and jealousy are spawned by our eyes not being satisfied or our ears filled, as the Preacher said yesterday. They just eat away at our souls, making us covetous for the power, wealth and belongings of others. They spoil friendships, ruin families and businesses, plus get us into loads of trouble including, fraud and debt when we purchase things we can’t afford. And though it may sound like a recording, it’s the truth. Keeping up with the Jones’, or falling for a salesman’s glowing pitch on some new fangled piece of junk is a major part of our society’s problem. My people, my people, that green eyed monster is possibly the most evil of all the negative emotions, for once it takes root in your soul, it’s liable to breed all the other undesirable ones. And sadly, it’s the only one that can spawn all the others. Things like hate, anger and resentment don’t spawn jealousy and greed, it’s usually the other way around. Thank the Lord it’s one thing I’ve never been caught up in. I’ve liked stuff others have, but I’ve never been motivated to get anything just because somebody else has it, or because it’s the in-thing. But let me shut up yes, cause the Lord in His mysterious workings might just decide to test me on it, and I already have enough tests going on right now. (smile) I certainly don’t need anymore. But seriously people, envy and jealousy have become so rampant in our society that young people are beating and killing others for junk like their i-pods and cell phones, even the ugly looking clothes and shoes they wear nowadays. That doesn’t bode well for this generation or the next, especially when the greedy business men keep trumpeting the benefits of, and the necessity to have these things to stay in fashion or to be accepted by your peers. Oh Friends, we have to do something about it. And the first place we have to start is with ourselves, then move on to our children. And we do that by following Sol’s advice: ‘be thou in the fear of the Lord all day long.’ And it’s true Friends. We can only keep away the green eyed monster if we concentrate on God and godly things during our waking hours. Constantly talk to Him. Ask Him to help us get rid of the lust for worldly things that breeds the envy and jealousy in our hearts. ‘Trust in the Lord and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.’ (Ps.37:30) Also read the rest of Psalm 37 to see what Bruh David says about the true state of the wicked. And Sol reminds us that ‘Happy is the man that feareth always: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.’ (Prov.28:14) Yes Friends, if we’re always reverent towards our God, we shall be happy, but if we’re not, then calamity will certainly befall us. Nuff said. Much LOVE!…to resist temptation…walk constantly with God…
Oh my wonderful Friends in Christ, on this beautiful weekend when we’re all getting together to rejuvenate our souls and spirits through thanks, praise and worship of our Glorious God, I have to share a small testimony of His unending goodness. Hn! I hope that exuberant opening had everybody sitting up expectantly. (smile) Well it’s just that yesterday I couldn’t decide on a Bit for the quote I wanted to use, but today, within a few minutes, the decision was made. Praise the Lord! And there were also plenty to choose from, as you will realize when you read the quote from a man of letters, who also had a great passion and propensity for good living; the one and only Oscar Wilde. And Oscar says that ‘To most of us the real life is the life we do not lead.’ And did he ever hit the nail right on mih people! Why is that? Because if you went around and asked each person in this world if they were satisfied with their life style, most would claim dissatisfaction. That’s partly because the grass always seems greener on the other side, which it is not, and most of us hunger for the supposedly glamorous and exciting life, lived by the rich and famous. Unfortunately though, a lot of things and people we consider glamorous and exciting are really boring and pedantic, it’s just a contrived image. Most of them are just like us, do the same things we do, just possibly on a higher monetary scale. And all this fascination with the jet-setting world… Chuh! That isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, for like everything else when done to the extremes, that too becomes boring, tiring and mundane after a while. You can only get on so many fancy private planes and yachts to so many ritzy places and parties before both the body and mind rebel, become satiated and dulled by too much high living. Oh I know many of us will still choose the wine, women and song over hard, backbreaking labour, but Friends, it’s those very same emotions of envy, jealousy, keeping up with the Jones’, that have our world in such an awful, ungodly turmoil. Sol says it loud and clear: ‘Let not thine heart envy sinners.’ What part of that don’t we understand eh people? We obviously don’t listen to Bruh David either when he says: ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.’ (Ps.37:1-2) Oh Friends, negative emotions like envy and jealousy are spawned by our eyes not being satisfied or our ears filled, as the Preacher said yesterday. They just eat away at our souls, making us covetous for the power, wealth and belongings of others. They spoil friendships, ruin families and businesses, plus get us into loads of trouble including, fraud and debt when we purchase things we can’t afford. And though it may sound like a recording, it’s the truth. Keeping up with the Jones’, or falling for a salesman’s glowing pitch on some new fangled piece of junk is a major part of our society’s problem. My people, my people, that green eyed monster is possibly the most evil of all the negative emotions, for once it takes root in your soul, it’s liable to breed all the other undesirable ones. And sadly, it’s the only one that can spawn all the others. Things like hate, anger and resentment don’t spawn jealousy and greed, it’s usually the other way around. Thank the Lord it’s one thing I’ve never been caught up in. I’ve liked stuff others have, but I’ve never been motivated to get anything just because somebody else has it, or because it’s the in-thing. But let me shut up yes, cause the Lord in His mysterious workings might just decide to test me on it, and I already have enough tests going on right now. (smile) I certainly don’t need anymore. But seriously people, envy and jealousy have become so rampant in our society that young people are beating and killing others for junk like their i-pods and cell phones, even the ugly looking clothes and shoes they wear nowadays. That doesn’t bode well for this generation or the next, especially when the greedy business men keep trumpeting the benefits of, and the necessity to have these things to stay in fashion or to be accepted by your peers. Oh Friends, we have to do something about it. And the first place we have to start is with ourselves, then move on to our children. And we do that by following Sol’s advice: ‘be thou in the fear of the Lord all day long.’ And it’s true Friends. We can only keep away the green eyed monster if we concentrate on God and godly things during our waking hours. Constantly talk to Him. Ask Him to help us get rid of the lust for worldly things that breeds the envy and jealousy in our hearts. ‘Trust in the Lord and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.’ (Ps.37:30) Also read the rest of Psalm 37 to see what Bruh David says about the true state of the wicked. And Sol reminds us that ‘Happy is the man that feareth always: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.’ (Prov.28:14) Yes Friends, if we’re always reverent towards our God, we shall be happy, but if we’re not, then calamity will certainly befall us. Nuff said. Much LOVE!…to resist temptation…walk constantly with God…
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