Envying unbelievers

“Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord.” Proverbs 23:17
It’s easy to get discouraged sometimes when we see unbelievers prospering. We look at how they live their lives and think, they seem to be managing fine without God, while here I am struggling! If that’s you, you’re not the first person to think this way. The psalmist Asaph wrote about how he felt when he saw the wicked prospering: “Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence” (Ps. 73:13). He went on to say, “When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me – until I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny” (Ps. 73:16-17).
As we read just a couple of days ago, life is not about amassing things, or about becoming famous, or about leaving a family legacy. The most important thing in life is to know Jesus as your Saviour, to be part of the family of God. This is what we should be focusing on, because this will endure forever, while everything material will pass away in an instant. The material world is what we see currently, and it can be hard to get our focus off it onto the things of God. But if we make God our first priority in life, serving Him in awe and reverence, He will reward us in due time.