A L M A C I A S

WHY DO THE GODLY SOMETIMES DOUBT?

Sometimes in life all does not seem fair, especially for those who strive to follow the ways of the Lord. Somehow we see things that are hard to explain and understand. You have people who are trying their very best to live Godly lives and tragedy seems to plague them all through life, while there are others who never take the time to appreciate God and all God has done for them and yet they seem to prosper in all things. In Psalms 73, we find one who was confused about life and the suffering of the just. He was so confused that he began to doubt as to whether it was worth being Godly in this life.

We read that his feet almost slipped because of what he saw around him. He began to look where he should not have been looking, and he stopped looking where he should have never stopped looking. He began to look at how the wicked prospered in so many ways and yet things were not going so well for him. When anyone begins to look at what others have that he/she does not have, envy is soon to follow. We see this in America as one of the main causes of the destruction of the family unit. The philosophy of wanting to keep up with the Joneses has caused the destruction of many families. People eventually will have a nice and spacious house but no home. To have a house with many empty rooms is not always a sign of "having arrived."

This man of God became envious as he saw how the wicked prospered and how those who lived Godly lives suffered and he wondered if it was worth being Godly. Even though money is not evil in and of itself, the love of money is. The apostle Paul wrote in I Timothy 6:10, "For the love of money is the root of all evil; which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." This man of God was envious because he had not seen the whole picture. He finally realized that there is more to life than the things we enjoy in this life. We have to look beyond this life and see what is awaiting after our departure. The Lord said, "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" Let us always remember that eternity is much more important than this life and also that when we die we will not be able to take anything with us; therefore, let us strive to live in such a way that only good will await us.