Are you upset? Or envious?

TODAY’S PROVERB: Do not be upset because of evil people, or be envious of the wicked… Proverbs 24:19

Sometimes it feels like people get away with all sorts of things. Why do these folks get away with things and we can’t? Oh my. I just sounded like a whiny three-year-old, didn’t I?

If we really think about it — and we should — we should want be thankful the Holy Spirit will “catch” us sinning. Sin separates us from our Heavenly Father (Isaiah 59:2). Second, our Abba sees all anyway, and because He’s holy, eventually all sin and those who practice it without repentance, will pay the penalty of being eternally separated from Him. Not a good place to be.

Which is why we should be out there sharing the love of the Father and redemption through His Son, so that as many as possible are rescued from that fate.

What about those folks who are our brothers and sisters in the Lord? They aren’t evil, but maybe they are doing sinful things. And they seem to be getting away with it?

Maybe they have sinned against us and they aren’t being accountable for their behaviors. Jesus set up certain guidelines for this:

 “Now if your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault while you’re with him alone. If he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen, take with you one or two more, so that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may stand.’ But if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to Messiah’s community. And if he refuses to listen even to Messiah’s community, let him be to you as a pagan and a tax collector.” Matthew 18:15-17

And if that soul resists correction and they are separated from the community of believers, Jesus goes on to tell us we need to forgive:

Then Peter came to Him and said, “Master, how often shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” Yeshua said to him, “No, not up to seven times, I tell you, but seventy times seven! Matthew 18: 21-22

Believe it or not, no one “gets away” with sin. There’s always repercussions because our Father is a just and holy God. How it works out and when it works is in His capable hands. And that’s the best place for it to be.

May we observe our own behavior and be responsible for our own actions, my friends.

Proverbs 24:19 Tree of Life Bible Society, Tree of Life Version – TLV, #tlvbible, #tlvproverbs