Read Psalm 37:1-6. 1Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! 2For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. 3Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. 4Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. 6He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.
To fret here is to be over heated. To be hot with anger or jealousy. Of who? Those wicked wrongdoers.
Have you ever wondered why when you’re trying so hard to walk with Jesus, your life is so more difficult than the person’s who has no time for Christ? Do the words and deeds (and policies) of the unbeliever make you burn inside with indignation? Do you find yourself literally hating those who stand opposed to your “godly” principles? Are you perpetually prepared to argue with people who are wrong? Is your strategy for survival in this evil age one of opposing, protesting, boycotting, insulting, and complaining? Or, worse yet, apathy, passivity, or indifference?
David is telling us the way of true godliness in an evil age – Trust in the Lord and do good. Or as the Apostle Paul says, “Overcome evil with good.” Or as Jesus himself says, “Love your enemy and do good to them.” Don’t be envious, but go the extra mile. Don’t fight, but delight in turning the other cheek. Don’t be passive, be prayerful. Don’t fret, have faith. He will act!
And acted he has. In Christ your righteousness and justice have been brought forth. They shine as the light of Christ in you. In him both envy and apathy are displaced by a new heart’s desire. A desire born of delight in the faithfulness of God in Christ.
To live is Christ is to commit your way to the Lord, trust him and do good, knowing that he has acted in Christ’s cross and he will act yet again in Christ’s soon return.
Prayer. Jesus, cause me to turn from my fretting and to find my delight in you. Change my heart’s desire into your very own desire, the desire to do good to all.
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To Live is Christ 