Proverbs 23:17-18 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.

It is ironic, actually, but not uncommon that “good” people would envy “not good” people. After all, sin can look like a lot of fun, and sometimes it really is, in the short term. However, as I tell people in almost every counseling situation I find myself in, selfishness never leads to true happiness, and sin is certainly self-centered. Perhaps the biggest factor in the good envying the bad is distorted values: material goods and physical pleasure are seen as more desirable than being Christ-like. We need to remember what the first half of verse 18 says. It is variously translated as “future hope” and “reward,” but the Japanese agrees with the King James in saying, very simply, “Surely there is an end.” We become envious of sin only when we lose sight of our own mortality. The pleasures of sin are no more than the bait that leads to eternal destruction. If your hope is in God, the Creator of heaven and earth, then that hope will indeed never be cut off, for all eternity. None of us are perfect. As Romans 3:23 so famously declares, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. That’s why we are all dependent on the grace of God for salvation. (Ephesians 2:8-9) However, anyone who has appropriated that salvation by faith will be seeking to please and not grieve their Savior. There is no substitute for the assurance of salvation.

I deal with imperfect people all the time, because there is no other kind! As a pastor I have to deal with other people’s imperfections, and as a human being I have to deal with my own. I’ve got to remember for myself and teach to others that there is an end, a reward, and our lives are to be lived in recognition of that fact. The world is filled with glitz and glamour and the devil uses our flesh to tell us those things are desirable. However, they are generally deadly traps, and we need to stand in God’s truth to stay clear of them. (John 8:32) The world says, “He who dies with the most toys wins,” but they ignore the reality that we indeed all die. As a pastor I deal with death rather more than most people (short of medical staff and funeral directors) and I see a stark difference between those who face death with hope in Christ and those who do not. There is absolutely no question which is better, even from a temporal perspective! The more closely we fellowship with our Lord the more envy of anyone who does not enjoy such fellowship goes out the window. When we walk on this earth in fellowship with Him, then there is joyful anticipation of even closer fellowship with Him for eternity.

Father, thank You for all the people You allow me to encounter, both high and low, as this world views them. Help me be Your agent to all, drawing them with Your love to repentance and faith, so that they too may have the eternal hope You have given me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!