SCRIPTURE

Studied: Psalm 73

OBSERVATION

Psalm 73:1-5 ~ No doubt about it! God is good— good to good people, good to the good-hearted. But I nearly missed it, missed seeing his goodness. I was looking the other way, looking up to the people at the top, envying the wicked who have it made, Who have nothing to worry about, not a care in the whole wide world.

APPLICATION

Thank God for His timely Word! Like Asaph, it is so easy to look at those around us that are filthy rich and who seem to live beyond the realm of having any kind of heartache or difficulty in everyday life. However, it is mind sobering to note what Asaph realized, that in doing this I may be missing out on the blessings of God. When we allow the distractions of this world to take our eyes off Jesus, and this could easily be the envy of seeing someone better off than us, then we lose out on the blessings God has already blessed us with and possibly the blessings He has in store for us. To realize our blessing, we should look at those less fortunate than us. Perhaps it might be a friend without a job in this economic down turn – it helps me to be thankful for the blessing of the job that I have; or perhaps the brother that lost his wife or a child – it helps me to be thankful for the family (wife and child) that God has blessed me with. Being envious of those that appear to have more earthly possessions than I do, is like saying to God that He has messed up and didn’t quite bless me enough. God is very much aware of all that I need and He provides those needs each and every day. That’s what I need to concentrate on and continually give God thanks for! For He is truly GOOD to me!

PRAYER

Father I need to step back and thank You once again for all that You bless me with each and every day. I want to also thank You for all that You have blessed my brother and/or sister with, for they are Your children too and they need to see Your blessings in their lives also. However, I am a blessed man and I want to be so in tuned to all that You do in my life each and every day that I will always find opportunities to praise You and adore You for just being God to me. Please help me to keep my eyes fixed on You and Your love for me, so that I may not miss out on seeing Your goodness at work. You are God and You alone deserve the praise for all that I may have. I can boast of nothing without giving You the glory for everything that I am or anything that I may have. In fact, I believe that You bless me with earthly things so that I may be a blessing to others. May I willingly do this at every opportunity, and may You receive glory and praise for it.