Read: Psalm 73:18-28

In the beginning of this Psalm, Asaph was jealous of all the good things that the unbelievers had. But then he turned to worshiping the Lord in the temple. Once he focused on the Lord, everything changed for him. This is because he was now looking the right way. Instead of looking at the people around him, he was looking to heaven, he was looking towards the Lord.

When you are jealous of others, that jealousy can disappear for you too when you focus on the Lord. Even though the unbelievers can seem to have so many good things, they do them no good at all because they don’t serve the Lord. Their good things can seem like blessings, but they are not. They will do them no good when they die or when the Lord Jesus returns. The end for the unbelievers is eternal hell, eternal destruction. They can have as many good things as they like in this life, but for eternity they will be suffering in hell. So, would you really want to be one of them? Would you really want all their good things without serving the Lord? Would you really want their toys and gadgets today, if it means that you will spend eternity in hell?

Of course you wouldn’t. And that is what Asaph realizes as well. He says that he was a fool for being jealous of the unbelievers. He even says that by being jealous he was acting like an animal. Instead of being jealous, he should have been focusing on the Lord and the blessings the Lord was giving him.

The Lord is always with us and guiding us. Even when things may not seem that good for us, God is caring for us, and in his love and grace he still loves us as his children. When we are weak, God is strong. The Lord is all that we need. We don’t need the toys and gadgets of others. We need the Lord and the Lord alone. He is enough for us.

Reflection with your child:

Why don’t we need to be jealous of the things unbelievers have?

Source: Sermon by Rev. W. Bosch