Pursue Peace by Fighting Envy - WHAT CAN CAUSE ENVY?

Material prosperity.  Isaac was a wealthy man, and the Philistines envied Isaac's prosperity. (Genesis 26:12-14)  They even stopped up the wells that Isaac depended on in order to water his flocks and herds.  (Genesis 26:15, 16, 27) Like the Philistines, some people today become envious of those who have more material possessions than they do.   They not only want the things others have but also want to deprive them of what they have. 

Being appreciated.  The Jewish religious leaders envied Jesus because he was much appreciated to the common people.  (Matthew 7:28, 29) Jesus was God's representative, and he was teaching the truth. Even so, these religious leaders spread wicked lies  and slander to ruin Jesus' good name.  (Mark 15:10; John 11:47, 48; 12:12m 13, 19) What warning lesson can we learn from this account?  We must fight any tendency to envy those who have qualities that endear them to the congregation.  Instead, we should try to imitate their loving ways. - 1 CORINTHIANS 11:1, 3 John 11.

Theocratic privileges.  In the first century, Diotrephes envied those who took the land in the Christian congregation.  He wanted "to have the first place" among the congregation members, so he spread malicious talk to discredit the apostle John and other responsible brothers.  (3 John 9, 10) Although not going as far as Diotrephes, we too could begin to envy a  fellow Christian who receives an assignment that we had hoped to get-especially if we feel that we are just as qualified as he is to care for that responsibility.

Envy is like a poisonous weed.  Once the seed of envy takes root in our heart, it can be difficult to destroy.  Envy feeds on other negative feelings, such as improper jealousy, pride, and selfishness.  Envy can choke the development of good qualities, such as love, compassion, and kindness.  As soon as we see envy starting to sprout, we need to uproot it from our heart. How can we fight envy?

Next time: Pursue Peace by Fighting Envy - CULTIVATE HUMILITY AND CONTENTMENT

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