Cause You Really Can't Take It With You...

Three of the best Psalms to read to renew your mind and aright your thinking as wickedness seems to increase all around you.

Psalm 37 - Why do the ungodly prosper while the godly painfully struggle through life?

Psalm 49 deals with the most real and certain thing about life—DEATH....cause you really can’t take it with you. 

Psalm 73 This psalm shows us what happens when we focus on the people and the evil surrounding us...instead of the sovereign, holy God above.    (We become and envious and filled with self pity) 

The Heritage of the Righteous and the Calamity of the Wicked

A Psalm of David.

Psalm 37

1 Do not fret because of evildoers,

​​Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.

2 ​​For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,

​​And wither as the green herb.

​

3 ​​Trust in the LORD, and do good;

​​Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

4 ​​Delight yourself also in the LORD,

​​And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

​

5 ​​Commit your way to the LORD,

​​Trust also in Him,

​​And He shall bring it to pass.

6 ​​He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,

​​And your justice as the noonday.

​

7 ​​Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him;

​​Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,

​​Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.

8 ​​Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;

​​Do not fret—it only causes harm.

​

9 ​​For evildoers shall be cut off;

​​But those who wait on the LORD,

​​They shall inherit the earth.

10 ​​For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more;

​​Indeed, you will look carefully for his place,

​​But it shall be no more.

11 ​​But the meek shall inherit the earth,

​​And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

​

12 ​​The wicked plots against the just,

​​And gnashes at him with his teeth.

13 ​​The Lord laughs at him,

​​For He sees that his day is coming.

14 ​​The wicked have drawn the sword

​​And have bent their bow,

​​To cast down the poor and needy,

​​To slay those who are of upright conduct.

15 ​​Their sword shall enter their own heart,

​​And their bows shall be broken.

​

16 ​​A little that a righteous man has

​​Is better than the riches of many wicked.

17 ​​For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,

​​But the LORD upholds the righteous.

​

18 ​​The LORD knows the days of the upright,

​​And their inheritance shall be forever.

19 ​​They shall not be ashamed in the evil time,

​​And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.

20 ​​But the wicked shall perish;

​​And the enemies of the LORD,

​​Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish.

​​Into smoke they shall vanish away.

​

21 ​​The wicked borrows and does not repay,

​​But the righteous shows mercy and gives.

22 ​​For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth,

​​But those cursed by Him shall be cut off.

​

23 ​​The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD,

​​And He delights in his way.

24 ​​Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;

​​For the LORD upholds him with His hand.

​

25 ​​I have been young, and now am old;

​​Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,

​​Nor his descendants begging bread.

26 ​​He is ever merciful, and lends;

​​And his descendants are blessed.

​

27 ​​Depart from evil, and do good;

​​And dwell forevermore.

28 ​​For the LORD loves justice,

​​And does not forsake His saints;

​​They are preserved forever,

​​But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off.

29 ​​The righteous shall inherit the land,

​​And dwell in it forever.

​

30 ​​The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom,

​​And his tongue talks of justice.

31 ​​The law of his God is in his heart;

​​None of his steps shall slide.

​

32 ​​The wicked watches the righteous,

​​And seeks to slay him.

33 ​​The LORD will not leave him in his hand,

​​Nor condemn him when he is judged.

​

34 ​​Wait on the LORD,

​​And keep His way,

​​And He shall exalt you to inherit the land;

​​When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.

35 ​​I have seen the wicked in great power,

​​And spreading himself like a native green tree.

36 ​​Yet he passed away, [fn1] and behold, he was no more;

​​Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found.

​

37 ​​Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright;

​​For the future of that man is peace.

38 ​​But the transgressors shall be destroyed together;

​​The future of the wicked shall be cut off.

​

39 ​​But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD;

​​He is their strength in the time of trouble.

40 ​​And the LORD shall help them and deliver them;

​​He shall deliver them from the wicked,

​​And save them,

​​Because they trust in Him.

The Confidence of the Foolish

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

Psalm 49

1 Hear this, all peoples;

​​Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,

2 ​​Both low and high,

​​Rich and poor together.

3 ​​My mouth shall speak wisdom,

​​And the meditation of my heart shall give understanding.

4 ​​I will incline my ear to a proverb;

​​I will disclose my dark saying on the harp.

​

5 ​​Why should I fear in the days of evil,

​​When the iniquity at my heels surrounds me?

6 ​​Those who trust in their wealth

​​And boast in the multitude of their riches,

7 ​​None of them can by any means redeem his brother,

​​Nor give to God a ransom for him—

8 ​​For the redemption of their souls is costly,

​​And it shall cease forever—

9 ​​That he should continue to live eternally,

​​And not see the Pit.

​

10 ​​For he sees wise men die;

​​Likewise the fool and the senseless person perish,

​​And leave their wealth to others.

11 ​​Their inner thought is that their houses will last forever, [fn1]

​​Their dwelling places to all generations;

​​They call their lands after their own names.

12 ​​Nevertheless man, though in honor, does not remain; [fn2]

​​He is like the beasts that perish.

​

13 ​​This is the way of those who are foolish,

​​And of their posterity who approve their sayings.Selah

14 ​​Like sheep they are laid in the grave;

​​Death shall feed on them;

​​The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning;

​​And their beauty shall be consumed in the grave, far from their dwelling.

15 ​​But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave,

​​For He shall receive me.Selah

​

16 ​​Do not be afraid when one becomes rich,

​​When the glory of his house is increased;

17 ​​For when he dies he shall carry nothing away;

​​His glory shall not descend after him.

18 ​​Though while he lives he blesses himself

​​(For men will praise you when you do well for yourself),

19 ​​He shall go to the generation of his fathers;

​​They shall never see light.

20 ​​A man who is in honor, yet does not understand,

​​Is like the beasts that perish.

The Tragedy of the Wicked, and the Blessedness of Trust in God

A Psalm of Asaph.

Psalm 73

1 Truly God is good to Israel,

​​To such as are pure in heart.

2 ​​But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;

​​My steps had nearly slipped.

3 ​​For I was envious of the boastful,

​​When I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

​

4 ​​For there are no pangs in their death,

​​But their strength is firm.

5 ​​They are not in trouble as other men,

​​Nor are they plagued like other men.

6 ​​Therefore pride serves as their necklace;

​​Violence covers them like a garment.

7 ​​Their eyes bulge [fn1] with abundance;

​​They have more than heart could wish.

8 ​​They scoff and speak wickedly concerning oppression;

​​They speak loftily.

9 ​​They set their mouth against the heavens,

​​And their tongue walks through the earth.

​

10 ​​Therefore his people return here,

​​And waters of a full cup are drained by them.

11 ​​And they say, “How does God know?

​​And is there knowledge in the Most High?”

12 ​​Behold, these are the ungodly,

​​Who are always at ease;

​​They increase in riches.

13 ​​Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain,

​​And washed my hands in innocence.

14 ​​For all day long I have been plagued,

​​And chastened every morning.

​

15 ​​If I had said, “I will speak thus,”

​​Behold, I would have been untrue to the generation of Your children.

16 ​​When I thought how to understand this,

​​It was too painful for me—

17 ​​Until I went into the sanctuary of God;

​​Then I understood their end.

​

18 ​​Surely You set them in slippery places;

​​You cast them down to destruction.

19 ​​Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment!

​​They are utterly consumed with terrors.

20 ​​As a dream when one awakes,

​​So, Lord, when You awake,

​​You shall despise their image.

​

21 ​​Thus my heart was grieved,

​​And I was vexed in my mind.

22 ​​I was so foolish and ignorant;

​​I was like a beast before You.

23 ​​Nevertheless I am continually with You;

​​You hold me by my right hand.

24 ​​You will guide me with Your counsel,

​​And afterward receive me to glory.

​

25 ​​Whom have I in heaven but You?

​​And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.

26 ​​My flesh and my heart fail;

​​But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

​

27 ​​For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish;

​​You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry.

28 ​​But it is good for me to draw near to God;

​​I have put my trust in the Lord GOD,

​​That I may declare all Your works.