My wife got a new job, she's been there about two months now, and it is the first time in my life I've been above the poverty line. We own our own house now, which I never thought would happen, on a decent little portion of land. I'm writing this from my office now, which is a little mind-blowing. But I was poor for a very long time, and there's a part of me that wants to be bitter about all that I experienced leading up to this point, especially now that we're in a community apparently full of the economic class that both contributed to some of my problems and judged me for them.

Psalm 73 begins with Asaph making confession for his envy toward those who were more secure in this world than he was, especially the wicked among them. He describes the pleasures they enjoy, in contrast to himself, until he comes to the temple. It is here, encountering God, that he is reminded of the folly of seeking after riches, of the end that awaits those who put their stock in this world rather than in God. He talks about destruction and judgment, and sees that those who throw their lot in with this present world will perish with it. The psalm closes with him considering the lesson learned from this, the personal lesson. The lesson at the end is not a condemnation of the rich for their riches, though that happens elsewhere in scripture, but another confession and serious consideration of his own heart in light of what he's seen.

Judgment does await those who put their hope in riches, but this psalm calls on all of us to examine our hearts. There is always someone with more of what you value. There is always someone who seems further ahead. Are we bitter toward them? Psalm 73 says our bitterness makes us senseless, ignorant, "like a beast before" God. In the statement "whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth," we get to the core of the solution. God is our portion. He is not only all we need, but all we really have. Everything is from Him, everything is to be devoted to Him. He is to be the fullness of our joy, the highest pursuit of our lives. If we will keep this in mind, if we will fix our eyes on Him and not things of this earth, not only will we know we truly have all that we desire, but we will not be tempted to be bitter toward others.

O Lord, let us not be bitter when we see those with more than us, and let us not grow selfish with what we have. Let us always remember, in abundance or in poverty, that we have You, and that You are everything.

Today's reading, across the multiple sources I use, included Psalm 126, Luke 6:20-26, 1 Corinthians 7:25-31, 1 Samuel 2:1-11, and Romans 15:1-13. But I accidentally read the wrong page at one point and, instead of reading the last two, actually read 1 Samuel 2:12-21 and Philippians 4:10-23. But this accident on my end worked out pretty well.

Psalm 126 is about God pouring out His blessings on His people again. It talks about God restoring the fortunes to Zion (in the ESV, some other translations use language about returning from captivity), but it is surprisingly vague about what kinds of blessings God offers. Many of the psalms have a direct object in mind: destroying Israel's enemies, pulling the author through a dark period, something fairly specific. But not this one. And the wording of the ESV may encourage a view that the fortunes God provides are, well, either fortune (in cash) or fortune (in success).

It is true that God sometimes blesses people with these things, but the rest of my reading was very keen on removing that as a first, or even as any form of, expectation.

Both Psalm 126 and the passage from Luke (which came from different parts of my reading plan unrelated to each other), as shown above, end on the promise that those who sow in reaping shall harvest in joy. But while the psalm begins with citing God's favor, Jesus in Luke has just called the poor, the hungry, those who weep, and the despised "blessed." While the specific verses in 1 Corinthians were mostly Paul's advice about whether or not to change one's marital status after becoming a Christian, the chapter has a general thrust about glorifying God with the circumstances one has in light of the form of this world passing away, instead of concerning oneself with radically change them. The portion of Philippians was concerned with how Paul has learned to be content with all circumstances and is now urging his readers to mirror that. And 1 Samuel was a cautionary section, about God opposing priests who put their own appetites and desires above their service to God and His commands.

While yesterday's reading was all about leaning on God for rest, today was all about leaning on God for so much more. His greatest blessing, in the end, is Himself. God is with us; when we mourn we can cry to Him, He provides when we are poor and hungry, He is making all things new and working in our circumstances to bring restoration to all things, He is our source of contentment.