What happens to us when we become consumed with anger and bitterness because other people have it better off than we do? And when those are people who have no place for God in their lives?
Asaph had an experience just like that and, conveniently for us, he wrote it down. You can find it in the seventy-third Psalm. Asaph had become obsessed with the apparent financial success of people he describes as entirely undeserving of God’s blessing.
In the Psalm, he recorded the effects of his feelings on his own life. His soul became full of bitterness, and he became like a beast toward God. In the end, he became little different than the worldly-minded people he envied, and that probably put him on the road to a much shorter life span.
What saved him was an encounter he had with God, where suddenly he realized by some form of divine revelation that all the riches the wicked had amounted to nothing in the face of the eternal judgment awaiting them. He also understood in that moment that his own lack of material wealth was completely compensated for by his experience of the presence of God, a treasure greater than anything this world has to offer.
Bitterness toward unbelievers who have more than us betrays our underlying commitment to the same ungodly value system that they follow. We are only bitter because we want what they want. They’re just more honest about it.
And in almost all cases, bitterness and envy blind people to the many blessings they already have in their possession. Be warned. It is a curse that will destroy you.
The cure for this disease is simple. Seek first God’s kingdom, and he will look after all your needs. And your bitterness will disappear in a flood of gratitude.
Jesus gave that command right after he told his listeners that their heart was in exactly the same place as their treasure. That’s why the handling of money is the most reliable external indicator of where a person’s heart is. It’s also why Jesus talked more about money than about almost anything else. Not because money is more important, but because our attitude toward money is critical for our emotional, spiritual and physical health.
If our treasure is in our relationship with God, our heart will be found deeply embedded in that relationship. But if our treasure is in the things this world offers, our heart will be wedded to this world even if we outwardly profess faith in Christ.
Are you wondering where you’re at? Here’s a little heart health test for you.
Question 1: Can you rejoice with others when they receive a material benefit you don’t have?
Question 2: Do you regularly thank God for what he has given you, regardless of what he has given anyone else?
Question 3: Do you regard giving as a joy, and wish you could give more?
Asaph came to the understanding that God was his portion. And when we see things that way, a funny thing begins to happen. God starts to provide.
Several years ago, Elaine and I were planning a massive step of faith in obedience to God, a step he required of us so that we could be used more effectively to help others. That step meant resigning my job and giving up my income. A friend called Brian was sitting beside me in a meeting and observed my disquiet. He lovingly but abruptly challenged me to tell everyone in the room the total of my financial assets. When I did, he kindly pointed out that the God who had provided that much would keep us afloat. And he has. And somehow against all the odds and with a much smaller income, our assets have increased even further.
Take my heart health test. It may save your life. And it won’t hurt your finances either!
CONSIDER PARTNERING WITH DAVID & ELAINE CAMPBELL IN HELPING TO SUSTAIN THEIR ACTIVE MINISTRY.
AWAKENING MINISTRIES // FOUNDATION of FAITH Project
Foundation of Faith Project is strengthening generations in faith and bringing beautiful changes to the communities around them. Through teaching, mentoring and coaching, many are finding out who they are and who they are destined to be. They are bringing more to their world. David Campbell is the key leader in this initiative and you can support him financially directly through Awakening Ministries.
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