During my studies of Genesis I have come to realize the incredibly destructive power of this one emotion. It is the one emotion that is the biggest source of power driving social media, driving us away from God, driving us away from our blessings, driving a wedge between believers, driving us away from peace... it is jealously.
Think about it... the fallen angel rebelled because he was jealous of God. The serpent deceived Eve because he was jealous that Adam passed him up as his companion and instead chose Eve. He then used jealously of God's wisdom and knowledge to tempt Eve. Cain killed Able out of jealous over his sacrifice and acceptance by God.... and so forth it continues all throughout human history. Nations start wars because we are jealous for others resources and power. We are dissatisfied with our divine blessings because we are jealous that someone else has something we desire.
1 Corinthians 13:4 "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud."
Yet, the world justifies jealous and even encourages us to boast and glorify it. How envious everyone will be of you if you go on this vacation, get that car, home, partner, career or body. Why do we want to create jealous in others when we have seen the destructive power it has had for humanity? Why do we allow jealous to take hold in our own hearts?
As singles we sometimes try to justify feelings of loneliness and shame to others by creating jealously. We may project something like this...I may not have a partner but be jealous of me because my independence grants me the freedom to indulge in other worldly pursuits. Paul warns against this in Galatians 5: 13 "You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh, rather to serve one another humbly in love"
What does it look like to instead live life in humbleness, a fruit of the spirit. Which way of living brings us more peace and closer to God? If we examine our life and where we spend our time, which way are we leaning and why? Are we sharing our blessings to create and spread envy or are we sharing the news of our blessings to glorify God?
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