Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long. — Proverbs 23:17
We were walking around a store recently and I remember that my son was going shelf to shelf looking at different things. He was being a typical kid, trying to figure out what he wanted to ask for. There were so many things catching his attention and I could see his mind turning as he continued to examine all the things the shelves had to offer.
He walked past all the shelves and the items and I remember the look on his face. I asked him, “Did you see something you wanted?” I imagined that he was going to start telling me about all the different things he saw and wanted. Instead, his answer caught me by surprise. He said no.
As I reflected back on those moments in the store, there was a thought that really stuck out to me. He saw almost everything that the store had to offer in the toy aisles. But as he surveyed each thing, he determined that it wasn’t something he wanted or needed. It was in those moments that I thought back to this verse in Proverbs.
It can be so easy for us to look around at the things of this world and become distracted. We see those around us living in sin and appearing to have a good time. They flash their wealth, fortune, fame, and nice possessions and it can often lead us to be envious of what they have.
Instead, our focus should be on God. Our desires should be on doing His will, not giving in to the temptations of the world. Life is far too short to waste it on the pleasures of the world. Focus on God and live your life for Him. In the end, the things of God are not temporary, they are eternal.
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