“Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked; For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out.”— Proverbs 24:19–20
Some people are so envious of others, even others less fortunate, that they are unsatisfied and un-thankful. That is shameful. It is in fact sinful. And it is proof that they don’t deserve what they have. Too many folks are like the little girl in this story told by Paul Chappell:
“- – -a man— returned from a trip to Paris with a beautiful French doll for his young niece. When she opened the package the girl was so thrilled that she rushed inside to show her mother what she had received. “Did you thank your uncle for the present?” her Mother asked. “Yes, Mama,” the girl replied, “But I didn’t tell him so.”
Sometimes we think that we are thankful people, but we neglect to express our gratitude. Often this is the result of failure to appreciate what we have. This ingratitude happens because we count the blessings of those around us instead of counting our own blessings. We fail to realize that even great blessings and prosperity may only be temporary. The fact that those who do not know God may have temporary success in “climbing the ladder” or accumulating the most toys does not change the fact that this is short-term success that produces no lasting or eternal result.
Instead of looking at others we should be focused on the amazing grace and blessings that God has given to us. David wrote, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (Psalm 103:2). While we may not have everything we wish for, it is the promise of God that we will have everything we need. Those good things are not the result of our worth and merit, but of His grace. Since God is the source of all our blessings, He deserves the full measure of our praise.”
