The Foolish, Ignorant Beast Within

Psalms 73:22 I was so foolish and ignorant; I was like a beast before You.

The love of money is the root of all evil. The pursuit of riches is the path of ruin and destruction. Many have pierced themselves with many griefs, chasing the material things this world offers (1 Timothy 6:9-10). The psalmist, here, admits to his own foolishness in envying the life, riches, and success of the wicked. He observed how their prosperity seemed to give them privileges that no one else could obtain. The more the gained, the more wicked they became, and the more the scoffed and blasphemed God. When the success of the wicked is observed, it almost seems like living for the Lord, and suffering the things we suffer, is a waste of time. However, it was not until the psalmist turned to the Lord, in the sanctuary of God, that he came to the understanding that the fate of the wicked was judgment and eternal condemnation. Even with all their riches, their ultimate end will be death and destruction, both physical and spiritual. Why do we envy such people? What have we to gain from this world that even comes close to what we have gained in Jesus? I will give you the simple answer...NOTHING!! In Christ we have it all, and far more than we deserve. Please hear me...it is not wrong if God chooses to bless us with some of the world's riches. The line that far too many of us cross, is that line where we allow those blessings to become the gods we pursue. We cross a dangerous line when we worship the blessings, rather than the One who is the source of all blessings. Sadly, there are many of us who, at some point in our walk with Jesus, have had to admit that, like the psalmist, we have allowed the foolish, ignorant, beast within us to get the best of us. Let us keep our eyes on Jesus, and focus instead on the heavenly riches that are awaiting us, when our mission here on earth has finally come to an end.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).