"Surely God is good to Israel,..But as for me...I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked....It troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood...." (Psalm 73, NIV)
Now I would, as probably many others, deny that I have thought such thoughts as revealed in the first part of our text. I do wonder, however, if such "passing" thoughts have affected us at times.
Psalm 73 is a reflection of man's reasoning. There are aspects of it which many battle, at least from time to time. We tend to look at life and make our own appraisals, come to conclusions, and too many times act thereon. Such thoughts as the psalmist's may be fleeting, but they can pollute our walk in Jesus Christ.
The psalmist of 73 was battling defeatist thoughts when he was "outside the Presence." When he "entered the Presence," he got smart. The, "Better Covenant," reveals that when the veil of the Temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom, you and I were invited in, no more you and I here and God there. Someone once suggested that not only were you and I invited into the Holiest of All, but also "God came out." No more coming-and-going-relationship with/in our Glorious Triune God.
Too many who name the Name of Jesus live in the realm of "with." The power of the Life in Jesus Christ is found in those wonderful Words of 2 Corinthians 13:5 and Colossians 1:27, "Jesus Christ in you, ('Jesus Christ in you, Jesus Christ in you')...the hope of glory." If you and I walk in this central Biblical Truth, we need never fear succumbing to the carnal observations of the psalmist in the first part of Psalm 73. Personally, I need more than a "with" relationship in the Godhead. I need what the Cross, shed Blood Of Jesus, His Death and Resurrection "purchased"---- "Jesus Christ in you."
Father, in Jesus' Name, I sing a new version of an old song, "And He walks in me, and He talks in me...." Amen.
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We are currently in Lake George, NY. Saturday we head for Rochester, NH, until October 5, then on to Prince Edward Island, Canada. We appreciate praying friends. We pray for you.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
Hebrews 12:2
Hebrews 12:2
