Proverbs 22:17-18 (written 11-22-10)

17 Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the LORD all the day.

18 Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.

Watched the American Music Awards. Lots of very rich people. Lots of smiles. Easy to envy.

Of course, the most telling thing may have been the last act. A Backstreet Boys/New Kids on the Block combo performance. Trying to recapture their lost glory. Desperately.

See those smiles are temporary unless there is a hope beyond the money and the fame–because both of those are fading.

Problem is, we don’t see the fade. Many of those last night made their last appearance. Their fifteen minutes will be up by next year, replaced by a fresh crop of fresh faces.

And we can be ensnared. I can be ensnared. Money isn’t the root of all evil–but it’s not the source of all happiness, either.

[Father, help me to focus on You and the future hope You provide, not tempted by the glitter of the temporary fix.]