Are You Jealous?

A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones. Proverbs 14:30

Christian educator Henrietta Mears said, ‘The man who keeps busy helping the man below him, won’t have time to be jealous of the man above him.’ Doctor Seuss wrote hundreds of children’s stories. One of his most famous is about the Grinch, a cartoon character who gets so jealous of others that he ends up biting himself. Jealousy does that. It targets others, but ends up consuming you. God blessed King Saul and lifted him from obscurity to the highest position in Israel. But when David slew Goliath and won the adulation of the people, Saul started acting insecure and threatened. Instead of rejoicing that God had sent David to help him, he grew resentful and became ‘David’s enemy from that time forward’ (1 Samuel 18:9). The Bible says, ‘A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body; jealousy is like cancer in the bones.’ Jealousy is malignant; left unchecked it can destroy every relationship in your life. It poisons your attitude by making you compare yourself with others. It robs you of joy and contentment. You become ungrateful and self-centered. It makes you assume that God’s resources aren’t sufficient for Him to bless others and still bless you. Saul’s jealousy cost him his throne, his family, his respect in the eyes of the people, and ultimately his life. Don’t let jealousy do that to you. Repent before it robs you of your destiny. God made all of us His children when none of us deserved it. So when you feel resentful of somebody else’s blessings, ask God to remind you of the many ways in which He has blessed you even when you didn’t deserve it.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for bringing into my life people who are successful. Help me learn from them and not be jealous of their success. In Jesus’ Name, Amen