Psalm 37:23-24 CSB "A person's steps are established by the LORD, and he takes pleasure in his way. [24] Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed because the LORD supports him with his hand."
Tom Sawyer hoodwinked his friends into believing whitewashing a fence was more enjoyable than anything they had planned for the day. A corrupt culture (any organized system estranged from God’s definition of right and wrong) tries to trick Christians into believing their wicked ways are more prosperous and enjoyable than living by God’s instruction.
Tom Sawyer also hoodwinked Huck Finn by continually attempting to convince him that his friendship with Jim wasn’t as important as what culture deemed acceptable.
King David says we should not fret (burst into flames; get angry) when the wicked seem never to face the consequences of their actions (Psalm 37:1; 7-8). Cultures can claim their course is right because they get their way and never seem to answer to God. David reminds us life is best when God delights in us doing right rather than when we are tricked into envying the wealth of wrongdoers.
David says the wicked have hoodwinked themselves: “The wicked plots against the righteous And gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord laughs at him, For He sees his day is coming” (Psalm 37:12-13). The judiciary system may pardon injustices, and the court of public opinion may condone what God calls sin, but God sees the end of the wicked. Don’t be fooled. The evil “will wither quickly like the grass and fade like the green herb”(Psalm 37:2). God may allow sin to run its course. We may think unbelievers go unpunished, but God sees the end from the beginning—He knows the day of their destruction.
Anger is the quickest way Satan hoodwinks us. The slanderer says, my way is the more accessible and pays better. You can enjoy today what God has been making you wait to receive. Getting mad at unbelievers for not facing the consequences of wrongdoing causes us to think, “if we can’t beat them, we should join them."
Don’t be hoodwinked: "Hate evil, you who love the LORD, Who watches over the souls of His godly ones; He saves them from the hand of the wicked" (Psalm 97:10; Amos 5:15). In the end, sin never wins.
David says the Lord establishes the steps of a man,
and God delights when we live His way:
"When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, Because the Lord is the One who holds his hand. I have been young, and now I am old, Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread." He is gracious and lends all-day long, And his descendants are a blessing (Psalm 37:23-26).
Those who reject God’s path stumble and fall. No one is there to catch them or help them up because they trust only in what they have accomplished and accumulated. But those who walk with God are on solid ground, and when the road gets rough, God holds us by the hand (Psalm 37:35-38).
Dear Gracious Heavenly Father, my Lord and God, please help me from being fooled. Lord Jesus, help me heed Your warning and listen to your Word: “Depart from evil and do good so that you will abide forever.
The Lord loves justice and does not forsake His godly ones; They are preserved forever, but the wicked descendants will be cut off.
The righteous will inherit the land And dwell in it forever.
The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.
The law of his God is in his heart; His steps do not slip.
The wicked spy upon the righteous and seeks to kill him.
The Lord will not leave him in his hand or let him be condemned when he is judged.
Wait for the Lord and keep His way, And He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in times of trouble.
The Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them because they take refuge in Him” (Psalm 37:27-34; 39-40).
Lord, I believe walking in Your will, and ways leads to prosperous peace and delight in Your salvation (37:3-38). Thank you, Lord, for teaching me the truth. The prosperity of the wicked does not last; therefore, I should not get angry when they appear to go unpunished. Better for God to delight in me doing right than being tricked into envying the wealth of wrongdoers. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Daily Devotion
Are you being hoodwinked?
Verse of the Day, June 7, 2022
Psalm 37:23-24 CSB "A person's steps are established by the LORD, and he takes pleasure in his way. [24] Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed because the LORD supports him with his hand."
Tom Sawyer hoodwinked his friends into believing whitewashing a fence was more enjoyable than anything they had planned for the day. A corrupt culture (any organized system estranged from God’s definition of right and wrong) tries to trick Christians into believing their wicked ways are more prosperous and enjoyable than living by God’s instruction.
Tom Sawyer also hoodwinked Huck Finn by continually attempting to convince him that his friendship with Jim wasn’t as important as what culture deemed acceptable.
King David says we should not fret (burst into flames; get angry) when the wicked seem never to face the consequences of their actions (Psalm 37:1; 7-8). Cultures can claim their course is right because they get their way and never seem to answer to God. David reminds us life is best when God delights in us doing right rather than when we are tricked into envying the wealth of wrongdoers.
David says the wicked have hoodwinked themselves: “The wicked plots against the righteous And gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord laughs at him, For He sees his day is coming” (Psalm 37:12-13). The judiciary system may pardon injustices, and the court of public opinion may condone what God calls sin, but God sees the end of the wicked. Don’t be fooled. The evil “will wither quickly like the grass and fade like the green herb”(Psalm 37:2). God may allow sin to run its course. We may think unbelievers go unpunished, but God sees the end from the beginning—He knows the day of their destruction.
Anger is the quickest way Satan hoodwinks us. The slanderer says, my way is the more accessible and pays better. You can enjoy today what God has been making you wait to receive. Getting mad at unbelievers for not facing the consequences of wrongdoing causes us to think, “if we can’t beat them, we should join them."
Don’t be hoodwinked: "Hate evil, you who love the LORD, Who watches over the souls of His godly ones; He saves them from the hand of the wicked" (Psalm 97:10; Amos 5:15). In the end, sin never wins.
David says the Lord establishes the steps of a man,
and God delights when we live His way:
"When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, Because the Lord is the One who holds his hand. I have been young, and now I am old, Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread." He is gracious and lends all-day long, And his descendants are a blessing (Psalm 37:23-26).
Those who reject God’s path stumble and fall. No one is there to catch them or help them up because they trust only in what they have accomplished and accumulated. But those who walk with God are on solid ground, and when the road gets rough, God holds us by the hand (Psalm 37:35-38).
Dear Gracious Heavenly Father, my Lord and God, please help me from being fooled. Lord Jesus, help me heed Your warning and listen to your Word: “Depart from evil and do good so that you will abide forever.
The Lord loves justice and does not forsake His godly ones; They are preserved forever, but the wicked descendants will be cut off.
The righteous will inherit the land And dwell in it forever.
The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.
The law of his God is in his heart; His steps do not slip.
The wicked spy upon the righteous and seeks to kill him.
The Lord will not leave him in his hand or let him be condemned when he is judged.
Wait for the Lord and keep His way, And He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in times of trouble.
The Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them because they take refuge in Him” (Psalm 37:27-34; 39-40).
Lord, I believe walking in Your will, and ways leads to prosperous peace and delight in Your salvation (37:3-38). Thank you, Lord, for teaching me the truth. The prosperity of the wicked does not last; therefore, I should not get angry when they appear to go unpunished. Better for God to delight in me doing right than being tricked into envying the wealth of wrongdoers. In Jesus’ name, amen.