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Fretting

 Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. (Psalm 37:1-2) 

for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. (Philippians 2:3)

 It’s easy to get keyed up over things that are going on in the world. It seems like evil is everywhere. It seems like no matter how hard we try; we get nowhere but bad people reap rewards.  It’s also easy to fret when we look into our lives and see that all of our evil tendencies and bad habits seem to prosper, while good deeds, good intentions, and good habits seem to wither and die. We hear that we are to die to ourselves, and the fretting is kicked up a notch because we … just … can’t.

Now, let me start with what I’m not saying. I’m not saying give up. I’m not saying don't care. I’m not saying that sanctification isn’t a good goal or that we should settle for living as miserable failures.

What I am saying is that if we’re not to fret or be envious of people who do evil because, like the grass, they will soon wither and die away, then does it make sense for us to fret or be envious of the evil we find in ourselves, for it, too, is like the grass that will soon wither and die away.

When we spend our time and energy fretting (AKA worrying) about and being envious of the capacity of evil to be so alive in us, we’re showing more faith in the evil than we are in God, who is at work in us. Sometimes, people talk about reading the end of the Book and that “we win.” Well, if we win, then why fret? Why be envious? There’s work to be done, but it’s work that should be done in full assurance that His will shall be done.

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