-July 30, 2022,
Good morning, happy Saturday,
“Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand.” You will guide me with Your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.”
(Psalm 73:23-24).
Today’s text is a “lightbulb moment.” The psalmist Asaph became envious of the wicked and fell into a pit of discouragement. This can happen when we start looking around at what others have, especially rich, unsaved people. We forget how rich we are in Christ and how much God has blessed us in Christ. Then we don’t thank the Lord as we should, and become unsatisfied.
In verses 2-16, Asaph saw how the unsaved seemed to be prospering and he seemed to be lacking. He uses such words to describe them as: no pangs in their death, firm strength, having no plagues, having pride like a necklace, eyes bulging with abundance, having more than their hearts could wish for, speaking loftily against God with no affects, at ease, and increasing in riches.
Then the lightbulb came on when Asaph went into the sanctuary of the Lord and he “understood their end.” Their end is the way of spiritual death and God’s judgment. They will be in hell forever. Even in this life if you peel away the veneer of prosperity, success, riches, and success in the world, most unsaved people are not happy. They lust for more, they find no peace, all because they do not have Christ in their lives. They have a void in their lives that only Christ can fill.
When the Lord opens our eyes, we can clearly see how blessed we are. Asaph says, “Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand.” This is our present joy, and then he says, “You will guide me with Your counsel.” And if that weren’t enough, he adds, “And afterward You will receive me to glory.” We have been blessed in the past, are blessed in the present, and will be blessed in the future.
One of greatest blessings is to continually be with the Lord. Through all the trials and difficulties, as well as the pleasures and blessings. So many times we allow the demands, distractions, and duties of life to keep us away from the closeness we need with our Savior. Our busyness keeps us us from God’s business. Soon we find as did the church of Ephesus in the book of Revelation, we “have left our first love.” The Lord holds our hand, but sometimes, we like excited children in a candy store, pull away from His hand. It saddens His heart.
May our eyes be open to all the blessings we have now and for all eternity, and thank the Lord. He is with us and will never leave us nor forsake us. Life’s journey is short in this world, though it may seem long when we are in pain and going through hard times. He with us, and we are with Him: the perfect union for a great communion! When we wake in the morning, Jesus is with us, we we sleep at night, Jesus is with us; when we go to school or work, Jesus is with us; when we walk or drive, Jesus is with us. Yes, He is with wherever we go.
Have a blessed day thanking the Lord and having the right perspective. We must take time to be reflective in order to have the right perspective. Stay safe and healthy.
With eternity in view,
Dean
Dean Allen's Daily Devotional 