It's Not Fair - Daughters of Promise - November 8

IT’S NOT FAIR

You have wearied the LORD with your words.”How have we wearied him?” you ask.  By saying,”All who do evil are good in the  eyes of the LORD, and he is pleased with them.” Malachi 2:17

The Jews of Malachi’s day were distraught. They believed they deserved God’s blessing. They were waiting for the prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah, made one hundred years earlier, to come to pass.  Instead, they struggled.

Simultaneously, they watched the evil around them prosper. They threw up their hands and said, “Why do good? The ones who do evil are the ones who get rewarded anyway.”  With this kind of thinking, God accuses them of altering morality.  They wanted the benefits of God’s blessing without taking on any responsibility of addressing inner holiness.  Instead, they set out to fulfill ritual and ceremonial duties, hoping to achieve the favor of God on a bargain basis.

It’s easy to become obsessed with unfairness. Take a trip along the coastline of Florida’s playground and you’ll be confronted with affluence. Some spend their lives tinkering with their yachts, cruising out to border islands, and enjoying the best golf courses. For any who have to save for years to take a family vacation, this can grate.

Because all I’ve known is life on earth, I can begin to believe that this is what it’s all about. I start trying to assess how the rich have gotten so far ahead of me.  What have they done to achieve such a lifestyle? Maybe I should follow their example. Now, I am in a dilemma with four choices in front of me.

1.) I’ll cast my obedience to Christ to the wind and embrace pathetic priorities.

2.) I’ll nurse my anger with God. “I’m living for you, Lord…and I so little blessing?” 3.) I’ll conclude that I must earn God’s favor by ‘doing the right things.’ My Christianity will turn pious.

4.) I’ll understand that the wicked prosper but for a speck of time compared to the expanse of eternity in front of them.

Jesus wasn’t rewarded while on earth for living a righteous life.  Just the opposite.  He was hated for His holiness.  His very choices exposed the morality of the day.  Ah, but where is He now? Enthroned in glory.  May I not sell my inheritance for a piece of silver.

Life seemed unending when I was younger. I’m learning that it passes with great speed.  Father, I follow Jesus.  I re-cement my resolve. Amen

Copyright Christine Inc.

For more from Christine Wyrtzen and Jaime Wyrtzen Lauze, please visit www.daughtersofpromise.org