Don’t follow after the wicked ones or be jealous of their wealth.
Don’t think for a moment they’re better off than you.They and their short-lived success
will soon shrivel up and quickly fade away
like grass clippings in the hot sun.-Psalm 37:1-2, TPT
Much energy can be wasted in cheater envy.
Been there. Done that.
It is hard not to fall for the temptation of envy when the cheater’s life seems to be going so well despite all their treachery. They seem to be “getting away with it.”
Yet I would caution such an assessment.
Can you outrun your own character? Is a person able to avoid going to bed with oneself–liar and all? My point is the cheater might have worldly success; however, he or she has a bankrupt character.
The Bible–particularly King David here in Psalm 37–is wise to warn us regarding envying the wicked.
It is not smart.
Plus, it is contrary to God’s instruction for us. The wicked may have short-lived success. However, they cannot outrun themselves…character deficits and all.
For someone who values integrity, I cannot think of a worse hell than having to live with the knowledge of unresolved breaches of said personal integrity.
“Well, they don’t care about integrity or value it,” you might say.
I don’t know about you. But that is not the type of person I want to be. That is to live a lie, literally. Such is hellish as well.
