“Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long. For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.” (Proverbs 23:17-18)
Every year on July 4th, we have an annual family tradition just like most people. Our set location is Vicki’s parents’ house in Lee’s Summit. We do the typical July 4th stuff like grilling outdoors, making home-made ice cream, and blowing stuff up just like every good American would do. One of the main reasons we always meet at my in-laws’ place is the show their neighbors put on with their fireworks. One of their close neighbors apparently has waaayyy too much money, and has always felt the need to spend a bunch of it on our great American holiday. For many years, we have bee treated to one of the best fireworks displays in the city. They shoot off the great big “commercial” stuff; a solid 30 minutes worth with an awesome “finale”. It is loud and bright and huge and right on top of us. It is so close that we almost get showered with the debris. The best part of the show is that it is FREE. We just set up our lawn chairs in the back yard and enjoy!
This year for the first time in 12 years there was no show. Either the economy finally caught up with them, or there was some other reason, but we got nothing. We were really disappointed. I mean, how dare they deprive us of our July 4th tradition? Don’t they know that I travel from “out of state” every year for this? (I live in Kansas, and the show is across the state line in Missouri). Maybe I should bill them for my travel expenses. Since they saved a lot of money on the show, they could afford to compensate me for my trouble and unmet expectations.
It’s funny how we get attached to things like this, and feel an “entitlement” to reap the rewards and benefits of other people’s bounty. It is just not fair that some have more than others. But before you think I am going to take off on some political rant, look at this from a broader and more important aspect. God gave each of us an eternal soul. The “value” of that soul is the same for all. Jesus said in Matthew 16:26, “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Each single human soul is worth more than the combined assets of the world – in other words, priceless. Each person is given the choice by a loving God to direct that soul to heaven or hell by his faith in the risen Saviour. Our salvation is NOT based on whether we have enough money to shoot off commercial fireworks every year. It is also not dependent upon how “good” we are. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Jesus died on the cross to pay for those sins, and when I trust him, I gain more than the whole world.
Then once we trust the Lord as our Saviour, we get the privilege of living the rest of our lives for his glory and in his service. As the verse above says, we often get distracted by the “injustice” of the way the world operates. Serving Jesus Christ requires a sacrifice. It is not always easy, and quite often, our expectations do not get met. We expect that people will see the need to trust the Saviour, but despite our best and most sincere witness of his grace, they reject him. We expect that our commitment and dedication to God will be recognized and rewarded, but instead we are often hit with the exact opposite. But while our expectations from the world will always fall short, God will never let us down. Hebrews 6:10 says, “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” Some day, those who have trusted him and served him faithfully will “have praise of God” (I Corinthians 4:5). Our expectations will not be cut off. We can and will be disappointed often in this life. But serving Jesus Christ will be rewarded. It will be worth it all when we see Jesus. Life’s trials will seem so small when we see Christ. One glimpse of his dear face, all sorrows will erase. So bravely run the race, till we see Christ!
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