" ENVY / JEALOUSY "

We are going to look into Envy / Jealousy once again. As we all may need another dose of what God's thoughts are pertaining to Jealousy / Envy. Now, Jealousy can be difficult to recognize because our reasons for it seem to make sense. But left unchecked, jealousy grows quickly and leads to serious sins. The longer you cultivate jealous feelings, the harder it is to uproot them. The time to deal with jealously is when you notice yourself keeping score of what others have. Have you ever envied some one whom God has apparently singled out for Special Blessing? Now a sure cure for jealousy is to rejoice with those people, realizing that God uses his people in ways best suited to his purpose. Now, to covet is to desire another person's prosperity. We are not to set our desires on anything that belongs to someone else. Not only can such desires make us miserable, they can also lead us to other sins such as Stealing and a big one Adultery. Envying others is a non-productive usage of our time because God is able to provide everything we truly need, even if he does not always give us everything we want. Now to stop coveting, we need to practice being content with what we have. The Apostle Paul emphasizes the significance of contentment in Philippians 4:11. It is a matter of perspective. Instead of thinking about what we don't have, we should thank God for what he has given and strive to be content. After all, our most important possession is free and available to everyone - eternal through Christ. LAST POINT: When we are blinded by envy and hatred, it is almost impossible to see our own sin. Until Next Time... Jim,