Proverbs 13:21 I don’t deserve this!

Trouble pursues the sinner, but the righteous are rewarded with good things.

Proverbs 13:21 NIV

[Adversity, disaster, hurt] pursue [chase, hunt, follows] sinners [criminals, one guilty of offense], but the righteous [just, lawful] will be rewarded [make amends, make an end, finish, full, give again, make good, repay again, from a root meaning to be safe] with prosperity [good, the best, bounty, ease].

It’s easy for one to expect, then dread, the consequences of doing wrong. Don’t I deserve it? Hasn’t God turned his face away from me and sent his fury, fire and brimstone? Well maybe I deserve it, but a good Father doesn’t discipline with barbed wire and hammers. Even so, there is still a connection between sin and adversity. Men have created their own targets on their backs. The enemy was cursed to eat the meal of dust and flesh. If I pursue things that value the flesh and this temporary time in the body, I am providing a meal for my opponent. At the minimum, an opportunity. Trouble, or Satan, gain from my failures. When I turn away from sin, the well dries up for my foe. The only thing I am to him then is an opportunity, not a meal. He may tempt, but he may not feast.

In a similar fashion, living the goodness of God, living in amazing grace, honoring my Father’s words, valuing his relationship and what he thinks, invites his kingdom. Acting kindly invites angels of kindness to be present. Being faithful, invites spirits of trust and bonding to help me connect with others.

Behavior sends an invitation. We are spiritual beings living in parallel kingdoms. The one reflecting the other. The kingdom in which I am living will be reflected in the “adversity” or the “good” I experience.

But not always. If I were to have visited Job at the height of his illness, I’d be with his friends thinking the responsibility was his—he was hiding sin. Or if I looked at Jesus hanging on the cross, like the Pharisees I would conclude he was not who he claimed to be. So using this measure and applying it to others does not always work. But applying it to myself, it is a pretty faithful tool.

Adversity or prosperity. Which one am I inviting today? What are my thoughts? What am I doing to attract the kingdom?