Walking with the Wise #172: Forever Flourishing

“The house of the wicked will be destroyed,
but the tent of the upright will flourish.”
—Proverbs 14:11

The difference between a house and a tent is pretty obvious—one is permanent and one is temporal. In metaphorical language we can see that the house of the wicked, which looks stronger and more glorious, will be destroyed. But even the little the upright has (i.e., the tent) will flourish. The point is that wickedness looks good in the short run, but will be destroyed in the long run, while uprightness looks difficult in the short run, but is successful in the long run.

Living for Jesus isn’t easy. As Jesus Himself said,

“Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours”—John 15:20.

Living for Jesus is hard. The world fights against us, but as Jesus said,

“I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world”—John 16:33.

Jesus overcomes the world and we are overcomers through Him. Though we may be marginalized in this life, though we may be persecuted and considered fools, we fight on, knowing that a day with God is better than a thousand days somewhere else. As the Psalmist wrote,

“For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness”—Psalm 84:10.

Follow Jesus, no matter what the cost, because it pays off in the end, as John wrote:

“And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever”—1 John 2:19.

This world is passing away. Don’t hold on to it. Live for God and be ready to experience the fulfilling joy that comes from knowing and doing what He delights in, forever and ever. Amen.