Do Not Gloat

It's human nature for us to get a little excited when our "enemy" or someone we really dislike, or has hurt us screws up. They get caught cheating on their wife. They lose their job. That neighbor that always parks in front of your yard gets pulled over by the cops for speeding. The person that betrayed your trust gets hurt by someone they trusted. The list could go on and on and on. But that's not how the Bible says we should react.

Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice, or the Lord will see and disapprove and turn His wrath away from him.

Proverbs 24:17-18

Wow, how convicting is that! "Do not let your heart rejoice"...If we even allow ourselves to rejoice inwardly, the Lord will see that in our hearts and turn His wrath away from your enemy. So if we rejoice in our enemy's suffering, the Lord will take away His wrath. We must make the conscious effort to deny our heart from rejoicing. It's not the easiest thing to do. But sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same. (The Fray - All At Once)

A Letter to the Colossians

A few months ago, a few friends of mine decided that we would do a daily Bible study, reading two chapters in the New Testament, and one chapter in Proverbs a day. We just finished Colossians, and I was captivated by a different verse than usual in Colossians. The verse that usually gets me to the core, and always motivates me is Colossians 3:23, which says, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men". This verse ALWAYS has such a motivating effect on me. But today it was two different passages that really spoke to me. The first was this,

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Colossians 3:1-2

Wow, and I mean wow. This verse is just screaming, "EMILEY, THIS VERSE IS FOR YOU!" In my day to day, I am amazed at how much time I spend thinking about earthly things. For instance, right now, my husband and I are looking at the prospect of buying a house. A very exciting time for us, but that has consumed me for the last week. I have been looking online for hours at houses, and neglect to spend time with the One who has given us the means to even consider buying a house. This verse is especially important in the economic situation our country is in right now. I am fortunate enough to have a husband who brings home a steady source of income. I know that for a lot of people, their main concern is how their family is going to eat tonight. This passage applies to both people that are doing well right now and people that aren't. The point is focus on God, not on earthly things. God never promised that we would have an easy time in this life, but he provides!

The other verse was this,
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

Colossians 4:2

It's a simple verse, but one we often neglect because we're so busy in our lives. It doesn't need any explanation, but just the verse itself is enough to remind me how much I neglect devoting myself to prayer because I'm "too busy".