"If
I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love,
I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of
prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give
all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the
flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast,
it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not
delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always
hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it
will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when
perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I
talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I
became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in
a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part;
then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope
and love. But
the greatest of these is love." - (1 Corinthians 13 NIV)
Happy Terrific Tuesday!!!
Love does not envy.
Envy and jealousy are correlated in ways words
can't deeply express. And yet, they differ. We discuss about these two words
and we believe with all our hearts this is completely natural to be envious and
jealous of others all the time.
Right?
Wrong.
Before I delve into this subject, we're going to
refresh our memories of the dictionary's meaning of envy. Envy
- feeling of discontent or covetousness with regard to another's advantages,
success, possessions, etc. It is also an object of envious feeling. Obsolete: ill
will.
Jealous - feeling resentment
against someone because of that person’s rivalry, success, or advantages. It’s
also characterized by or proceeding from suspicious fears or envious
resentment. And inclined to or troubled by suspicions or fears of rivalry,
unfaithfulness, etc., as in love or aims.
I want to focus on envy because we all know that
envious behavior does happen. While envy appears to be harmless on the surface,
nonetheless, the Bible describes how hideous envy really is, especially
when it's not dealt with properly.
What we fail to realize is, when we secretly hate
what others have versus what we don't have, it can cause unnecessary drama and
sever ties in relationships for years to come, all because we're focused on
others' shining qualities instead of our own.
And I want to be clear, I'm not knocking anyone
who is struggling in this area, for we all have struggles, including yours
truly. You gotta love the media. They are pros when it comes to magnifying
envy, jealousy, and strife because they lure their audience to watch and to make their
shows intriguing, and it boosts ratings. (Hey, I'm just being honest.)
Although, it may be entertaining, but most shows have
lessons to learn, if we strictly pay attention to what these actions display to
us.
I truly believe we all have something to offer on
Earth. God did create us for His Glory and He didn't make two individuals
alike. He also didn't create us to cruelly devour others, just so we can be on
top while they're left to die spiritually, mentally, and emotionally, and
sometimes, physically.
Instead of us giving sincere compliments to
people we run into on a daily basis, we're so quick of finding everything wrong
with them, rather than finding positive things about them.
The spirit of envy is rooted from the enemy.
Satan always uses comparisons to make us feel inadequate. He constantly uses
vanity to make us believe if we look like the people we see on television,
we'll truly be accepted in society.
If we have more money, we're deemed as highly
important.
If we have more houses, cars, yachts, etc., we'll
most likely have friends.
If we discard people we consider as
"losers," it will boost our popularity level to an ultimate high.
I believe you know where I'm going with this.
Here's the important question I want you to ask
yourself: Is coveting after another person's success, appearance, or social
status worth it? Will this envious behavior broadcast me as positive
or negative?
Just to be clear: there’s nothing wrong with
having accomplishments or wanting to better ourselves. I'm all for that. No one desires to be in a constant rut. No one.
But bettering ourselves doesn't mean
thinking we're above others. We all fall short!
Whatever God is saying to you, in this message,
may it glorify Him and Him alone, you know you better than anyone, and
He knows you better than you know yourself. Feeling envious over what some else
has will only zap precious energy from you, beloved. And it will only leave you
feeling worthless, when you actually do have worth: God's worth.
God has made you for His Glory. Discover who you are and embrace it. There's
room for everyone. To make this world a better place, it all starts with us.
Won't you join me to become better and
not bitter?
Prayer: Father, I release my
struggle of feeling envious to You. I can't help it, sometimes, because
everywhere I turn, it seems like everyone is "rising to the top" but
me. Lord, if I'm keeping up with others to have, just so I can have, then
please forgive me and cleanse me of my sin. I want to be better in You. I know
You will supply all my needs according to Your riches in Glory through Jesus
Christ. Help me to find positive things to say about everyone I encounter with,
instead of destroying them with vicious comments, which doesn't exalt You.
Thank You for healing me from the spirit of envy and blessing me to love others
and myself unconditionally. In Jesus' name, Amen.
If you believe in this prayer, and transformation
has taken place, then you are forgiven. If not, continually give it over to God
in prayer until you are delivered. He draws near to those who are
broken in spirit and they're in need for genuine change. God loves all of us.
As long as we're honest with Him, He will always guide us and show us what we
need to do next for our success. Jesus truly loves you and I do as well. Until
next time, be blessed.
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