Psalm 73: Give Me Jesus

Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand.
Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.
Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.
My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. -Psalms 73:23-26 KJV

We sang this song years ago at our little church in Jockey Hollow, New Jersey.  'Whom I have I in heaven but you O Lord, and being with you I desire nothing on earth. '. It is even more true today.  If you read the words that precede this, you will see that the Psalmist had the same cares that we have today.

I had nearly lost my foothold.
For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

    They have no struggles their bodies are healthy and strong.

They are free from common human burdens;
    they are not plagued by human ills.
Therefore pride is their necklace
   they clothe themselves with violence.
From their callous hearts comes iniquity;
    their evil imaginations have no limits.
They scoff, and speak with malice;
    with arrogance they threaten oppression.
Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
    and their tongues take possession of the earth.
Therefore their people turn to them
    and drink up waters in abundance.
They say, “How would God know?
    Does the Most High know anything?”
This is what the wicked are like—
always free of care they go on amassing wealth. - Psalms 73: 2-12 NIV

This reminds me of the words of an old African Spiritual, recently brought to life by several musicians, 'Give me Jesus, give me Jesus, You can have the whole world, but give me Jesus.'
Why would we look on the world with envy when we have the one thing that their wealth cannot buy?  We have Jesus, the Son of God.  Years ago, the African slaves, toiling on the plantations while their owners profited from their labor, in much meaner circumstances than we have ever experienced, knew this truth.  Everything the world has today will pass away.  It will rot, it will decay, it will rust.  Even the greatest monuments to man and his accomplishments will eventually be torn down, replaced by a highway or another housing complex. 

We have something eternal. Jesus kept repeating it, 'Let not your heart be troubled."  We can lose our foothold if we look at what the world has instead of what we have.  Give me Jesus, he's all I need.