July 8th

Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of the wicked, for the evil man has no future hope, and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out. Proverbs 24:19-20

Men fret over things that they cannot have or do not know how to obtain. A habit of envy opens a wide avenue to sin, fear and many other forms of vexation. Since it appears that the human eye is never satisfied, this is a continuing cycle of frustration for things that can never be fulfilled. For many it appears that the harder they try to get more, the less they realize what they have. We have lost the art of being thankful for our blessings from God and instead plan and scheme on how to get what we think will make us happy and content.

The lamp in the Bible does not only refer to light but to the life, breath and reputation of a man. It appears that when we chase after things and the accumulation of possessions that we can lose our own soul in the process. This is how the lamp of the wicked will be put out in the darkness of sin and hell.

The righteous, who make their pursuit of God as their goal, will be given a light that will never be extinguished and a loving God that will remember what we did for Him forever. The wise man decides to pursue God, which will lead to an eternal inheritance.