The "Long Game" Mindset

Church Family: I have a friend who gives a lot of money to Planned Parenthood and supports the culture of death, including George Soros’ “Open Society Foundations.” He mocks God–and me– in most of our conversations. He has millions of dollars, travels the globe, and lacks nothing materially. Biblically speaking, “he is an evil man who is prospering in his way” (Psalm 37:7). It is easy to look at someone like that, living the high life, and get a little bent out of shape with God knowing that at the same moment there are millions upon millions of obedient, delightful Christians walking in the miry sludge of life with barely enough to survive.

How are we to not fret, not get all worked up, when we see evil men prospering (Psalm 37:1), especially when they prosper at the expense of truly righteous people? This is a problem King David struggled with throughout his life. David teaches us to embrace God’s call to look at life from a “long game” perspective. God loves playing the “long game” as He endlessly works in your life from an eternal perspective to make you more like Himself. That is a lifetime work of God. He is not just concerned with your immediate comfort or success, but with building Christlikeness, while preparing you for everlasting life.

One way God calls you to have a “long game” view of life is when you see evil people prospering. Christian “long game” mindset remembers that there is infinitely more love flowing from God to His children who walk in poverty and lack, than to the prospering evil man who has no need of anything. The Christian with the “long game” mindset walks through this world among the prospering of evil knowing that he will “inherit the land” (Psalm 37:11; Mat. 5:5). As fellow heirs with Christ, we are promised eternal riches, not the temporary riches of this earth that fade and wither (Psalm 37:2). When Christ returns to perfect His kingdom and launch eternity, He will bring heaven to earth. This earth will be redeemed. All evil will be eradicated. The curse will be lifted from creation. There will be no evil. We will live forever and ever in the presence of Christ on this glorified and restored earth, the new earth. This is truly and literally heaven on earth. This is your promised inheritance and it never withers or fades.

Christians with the “long game” mindset know that within them there is a living and incorruptible seed that lives and abides forever –why should we envy the prospering of the wicked, and their earthly glory, which are like grass and herb that quickly wither away in this life (Psalm 37:2)? How much more should we delight in the LORD for our eternal riches than the evil man does in his fleeting earthly riches? You have inherited the riches of God that are eternal; don’t fret about the temporal prospering of the evil person. God is playing the “long game” and He invites us to understand His "long game" perspective throughout our lives.

See you Sunday, not fretting: Steve