Measure Yourself

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:

1        Do not fret because of those who are evil

    or be envious of those who do wrong;

2        for like the grass they will soon wither,

    like green plants they will soon die away.

3        Trust in the LORD and do good;

    dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

4        Take delight in the LORD,

    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5        Commit your way to the LORD;

    trust in him and he will do this:

6        He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,

    your vindication like the noonday sun.

7        Be still before the LORD

    and wait patiently for him;

do not fret when people succeed in their ways,

    when they carry out their wicked schemes.

8        Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;

    do not fret—it leads only to evil.

9        For those who are evil will be destroyed,

    but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

10      A little while, and the wicked will be no more;

    though you look for them, they will not be found.

11      But the meek will inherit the land

    and enjoy peace and prosperity.

12      The wicked plot against the righteous

    and gnash their teeth at them;

13      but the LORD laughs at the wicked,

    for he knows their day is coming.

14      The wicked draw the sword

    and bend the bow

to bring down the poor and needy,

    to slay those whose ways are upright.

15      But their swords will pierce their own hearts,

    and their bows will be broken.

16      Better the little that the righteous have

    than the wealth of many wicked;

17      for the power of the wicked will be broken,

    but the LORD upholds the righteous.

18      The blameless spend their days under the LORD’s care,

    and their inheritance will endure forever.

19      In times of disaster they will not wither;

    in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

20      But the wicked will perish:

    Though the LORD’s enemies are like the flowers of the field,

    they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.

21      The wicked borrow and do not repay,

    but the righteous give generously;

22      those the LORD blesses will inherit the land,

    but those he curses will be destroyed.

23      The LORD makes firm the steps

    of the one who delights in him;

24      though he may stumble, he will not fall,

    for the LORD upholds him with his hand.

25      I was young and now I am old,

    yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken

    or their children begging bread.

26      They are always generous and lend freely;

    their children will be a blessing.

27      Turn from evil and do good;

    then you will dwell in the land forever.

28      For the LORD loves the just

    and will not forsake his faithful ones.

Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed;

    the offspring of the wicked will perish.

29      The righteous will inherit the land

    and dwell in it forever.

30      The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,

    and their tongues speak what is just.

31      The law of their God is in their hearts;

    their feet do not slip.

32      The wicked lie in wait for the righteous,

    intent on putting them to death;

33      but the LORD will not leave them in the power of the wicked

    or let them be condemned when brought to trial.

34      Hope in the LORD

    and keep his way.

He will exalt you to inherit the land;

    when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.

35      I have seen a wicked and ruthless man

    flourishing like a luxuriant native tree,

36      but he soon passed away and was no more;

    though I looked for him, he could not be found.

37      Consider the blameless, observe the upright;

    a future awaits those who seek peace.

38      But all sinners will be destroyed;

    there will be no future for the wicked.

39      The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD;

    he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

40      The LORD helps them and delivers them;

    he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,

    because they take refuge in him. (Psalm 37, NIV)

REFLECTIONS:

Over the next several days, we will spend some time meditating on Psalm 37. I decided to include the entire psalm in the reading; however, each day I'd like for us to focus our thoughts on just a few specific verses. Today, we'll center our thoughts on verses 1-4.

Psalm 37 begins with a personal and practical admonition: “Do not fret.” How do we calm a fretful spirit and bring peace to a troubled heart? “Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong” (verse 1). Why do we sometimes envy the wicked? They seem to be prospering; they seem to be so happy. But what do they have that we need? As we said yesterday, we are the people who dwell under the shadow of the Lord's wings. Because this is our true identity, and because the living God is with us in his unfailing love, we have everything we need. Whenever we find ourselves fretting, it’s probably because we are measuring ourselves against others. We seem to have a natural tendency to want to “keep up with the Joneses.” We see what others have, we see their appearance of happiness, and we desire to have what they have. Not knowing exactly what to do, we seek after the toys and gadgets that seem to make them happy. And because we want what they have, we become imitators of this world. That’s the wrong thing to do. Instead, measure yourself against yourself. You’re not competing with others; you’re competing with yourself. Also measure yourself against the Lord Jesus Christ, because he is the One we are to be like. Paul reminds us that God's desire is for us to grow up “until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13).

David reminds us: “For like the grass they [the wicked] will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture” (verses 2–3). When we fix our eyes on the Lord and trust and obey him, that fretful spirit quiets down and peace comes to our heart. Whenever I stop trusting the Lord for my needs and for his help, my heart becomes heavy and burdened, and then I become fretful and worried. So “trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture” (verse 3). God takes care of his own.

We find a third admonition. “Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (verse 4). When we delight in the Lord, we learn to appreciate the delights of the Lord. When we seek after God, desiring to know him more, we come to know true joy and satisfaction and delight. This is because we come to understand that all of our desires, our longings, our wants and needs can be truly satisfied in Christ alone. When we want some new toy or gadget, we typically want it to satisfy our desire for joy or ease or comfort. But, the joy that comes from stuff—new cars, TVs, cell phones, etc.—is usually rather short-lived. We may feel good for little while, but after a few days or weeks we realize that we are still unsatisfied. But, when we seek after Christ, hungering for deeper intimacy with him, we come to find true satisfaction and delight! We all have a God-shaped hole in our life, and we will only be satisfied when we draw close to and delight in the one true God. St. Augustine wrote in his Confessions: “Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in thee.” When we seek God, when we hunger to know him, to delight in him, he rejoices to reveal himself to us. God's great delight is sharing himself with his beloved children. He longs that we might be reconciled, that we might experience the sort of intimacy with him that he experiences with his Son and the Holy Spirit. When we seek God, and delight in him, he promises to satisfy the desires of our heart—he promises to give us himself, to open our eyes to his glory, to draw us into deeper intimacy, to fill us with Life.

Don’t fret today. Look to the Lord in faith, trust in him and delight in him.

POINT TO PONDER:

Competing with others and comparing yourself to them can lead to fretting. Measure yourself only against yourself and against Jesus Christ. Consider your needs. Are there any the Lord cannot provide? Place your trust in his provision. He is faithful.

WHO AM I?

I am Tres Sansom, and I feel so blessed to be the father of this handsome little devil. While his mom was away in Dallas, he was fantastic! He brought his A-game! Not only was he incredibly well behaved, but he was a huge help around the house and with providing care for his sick little sister. Benjamin is a marvelous big brother! He's incredibly patient, generous with his toys, and crazy playful. He constantly looks out for her best interest and tries to help her with anything she requests. He's also a huge help to us around the house. He actually enjoys helping us with household tasks—cleaning up toys and art supplies, clearing the dinner table, loading and unloading the dishwasher and all sorts of other tasks. If I was to continue listing his qualities, this bio might go on for a couple more pages, so I'll call it quits. But, suffice it to say, I feel incredibly blessed to be Benjamin’s dad! He is a wonderful boy! When I look at him, I can definitely understand God's desire to declare: “This is my son, whom I love—my son with whom I am pleased.”