Asaph - Psalm 73
I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong.
They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills.
Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth.
Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance
This is what the wicked are like - always carefree, they increase in wealth.
Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain I have washed my hands in innocence.
All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning.

I share in Asaph's laments. I think (by comparison) I am of pure heart. I think I am innocent. I've given my life over to God and it seems all day long I am plagued. It seems I am punished every morning.

Ever felt that way? Why is it that the other guy seems to have life figured out? They succeed in so many ways. They take the great trips to Italy with their family. Their kids make 4.0's and quarterback the football team. They look like triathletes (many of them are!). Money flows their way with ease. LIFE ISN'T FAIR!

Asaph goes on to say, "I tried to understand all this and it was oppressive to me." Then he entered the sanctuary of God and it is revealed to him...

"When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory...earth has nothing I desire besides you."

There it is - he realizes he was senseless and ignorant apart from the Lord - a brute beast. There it is. None of us is deserving. All of us fall short of the glory of God. Our works and "pure" heart will win us no favors with God. Only faith in Christ gets us there.

We are so focused on life not being fair. We are Christians and at times it feels like we are the ones getting the shaft in this life. Exactly! We weren't made for "this" life. This life was broken in Eden. Asaph says earlier before he is enlightened that he was pure of heart and innocent. No he wasn't. Our sin nature separates us from God. Even if we have accepted Jesus we are still separated by our sin in this life. Even for the strongest believer, the flesh pulls hard against the will of God. God will forgive the sin of those who believe and turn their lives over to God but while we are here, we will still sin. We will never reach the place of "innocent and pure" in this life. Innocence and purity will come to those that accept Christ and enter into the Kingdom. Only then will the wrongs be made right and we will be made whole.

The things Asaph laments over are just that..."things". He sees others that are rich, pretty, successful, have the nice house, have the kids with the 4.0 and the full ride to UVA, the BMW, the beach house, having lots of friends, large parties, the successful career...you know the drill. But everything he sees will burn up. All that we desire to possess in this life will not pass with us into eternity. Cars, houses, titles, GPAs, status, health, etc. will all burn up at some point in this life. Temporal vs. Eternal.

Back to 2 posts ago - this changes the way we view the "things" of this life. They are temporary. The treasure of heaven is lasting. We are deserving of a one-way ticket to hell. Only by God's grace are we able to escape "this" life and enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Praise be to the Lord!

Soar!