Does the green eyed monster grab ya?
Psalm 37:8 (NLT) "Do not envy others--it only leads to harm."
Rhonda Rhea: I have a friend who looks good in absolutely everything she puts on. Argh! The girl could drape herself in the cover of her car and look classy enough for the fashion runway. If I draped myself in a car cover, I guarantee I would look more like a Buick. And I'll just go ahead and admit that I need to drop a few pounds off these fenders. My bumpers are a bit of a wreck, too.
Envy is such a dangerous thing. It throttles peace--and worse, it leads to anger, even rage. Psalm 37:8 says, "Stop your anger! Turn from your rage! Do not envy others--it only leads to harm." (NLT) The envious, angry person experiences painful harm personally. Proverbs 14:30 tells us that, "...envy, jealousy, and wrath are like rottenness of the bones." (AMP) Our own personal rottenness. It can be a total life-wrecker but it's even more than just personal rottenness. That harmful, rotten disposition often spreads, spilling over onto family and friends.
How do we avoid bone-rotting envy and wrath? We replace them with love. 1 Corinthians 13:4 tells us that "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy..." (NIV) Love is the opposite of envy.
Anytime we catch ourselves envying, we can ask God to love the person we envy through us. He loves to answer that prayer. As he gives us love for the ones we're tempted to envy, we discover that love, just as 1 Corinthians teaches, always wants the very best for others. Instead of envying, love rejoices in their victories!
Rejoicing in victory; that's the Jesus way. Yes, rejoicing in the victories of others ... even if those others have exceptionally sleek fenders.
A pearl to string: Rhonda Rhea is one of my favorite Christian authors. She brings home a point here that will bless you deeper and wider than you can imagine. If things are tough and you’re looking around you thinking everyone else has got it better…STOP! Come on! Look what the Lord has done in your life. Really! There are so many things for you to be thankful for. Are you reading this? Then start with your eyes and your education. Thank the Lord you can see with your eyes and you have learned to read. Turn your sorrow around do not let that green eyed monster grab ya. How you ask? Count your blessings!
Be in Sonshine
You are loved,
Lyndi
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