Drawing the Line of Life and Success

UV 1584/10000 Drawing the Line of Life and Success
Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.
Psalm 37 v 34

If a chapter in scripture is likened to a house, then the uni-verse one is currently focussing on is the keystone verse- the door through which one enters that spiritual house of blessing and wisdom. Psalm 37 begins by comparing the worldly and materialistic to the grass that seems to flourish for a short while and then is no more. It asks us not to fret or to be envious of the wicked who seem to prosper for a while. It reminds us that they will one day be cut off like a sickle cuts the dry grass. Instead, we should delight in the Lord, His ways and His Word. We should delight in the blessings and the salvation He has generously provided for us. We will derive our strength from Him by delighting in Him just as a billionaire delights in his money or wealth or possessions. A billionaire keeps his own heart cheerful by gloating to himself- look at my great wealth that I have achieved by dint of my talent and hard work: the number of my flourishing investments, the number of my businesses, my employees, my buildings, vehicles and influence. The Lord laughs at him and says to him, “Wait and in just a while you will be cut off from your great wealth in which you take such pride without acknowledging that I am the One who gave you the ability to be rich. In just a little while your wealth will be cut off from you.” The man who takes pride in his own achievements and possessions is a person who has exalted himself. The Lord promises to humble him in due time.

The alternative is to wait on the Lord. The Hebrew word for “wait” is “kawah” or a straight line-the starting point is the human heart. It is extended by intense desire and it finally culminates in the Lord. The uni-verse exhorts us to wait on the Lord to exalt us in due time. We humble ourselves before God and commit all our ways to Him in prayer and in constant or steadfast attitude. Circumstances and happenings will not deter us from our commitment to the Lord. Our hearts are focussed on the Lord as the source and fountainhead of anything good and lasting. We cannot keep His ways without keeping His Word. We need to store His word in our hearts. The starting point of our race lies in our hearts. We store His word like David in our hearts so that we do not fall short of His glory. We hold onto our hope and confidence that the Lord will bring us into our inheritance. The difference between us and the worldly is that the latter think they earned and deserve their success while we inherit our blessings. Our blessings come to us by inheritance in Jesus. It comes to us on account of our intimate relationship with the Lord as Father-child. Like the prodigal son, we do not deserve it. We deserve the pigsty but we inherit the house of the Lord. The house or life the Lord has built is not in vain. Our inheritance comes to us by grace. Grace produces gratitude while success breeds pride. Grace requires us to be patient.

There are two types of success- process success and end result success. Judged from both these criteria, those who are righteous by faith are more fulfilled than those who attempt to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. Process success is on demo in his attitudes and methods while one is working towards a specific goal. End result success is what awaits one at the end of one’s efforts. The end of the race determines the ultimate success in the contest. The end of the worldly is strife and vanity- a podium of odium. The end of the righteous by faith is an abundance of peace and joy. The Lord will vindicate the faithful.
Prateep V Philip