"These days, he calls himself a property developer and a 'facilitator', although I don't know what a facilitator does and have no desire to find out. It's like that famous quote about sausages. "Sometimes it's best not to see how they're made or what goes inside."
The above is a famous quote from an unknown, but to me, it sounds like someone is really quite envious of someone else, as goes the story of many different people throughout the world.
Envy is quietly going on behind many people's lives - it can be dangerous, it can be malicious, and it can border on murder!
Envy apparently involves painful and resentful awareness of an advantage someone else has rather than yourself.
Envy comes with a desire to possess whatever someone else has and keep it all to yourself.
Envy can lead to many and varied negative thoughts and actions, and also extreme resentment, insecurity in yourself, and, unfortunately, a serious case of envy for some other person.
Envy can also be about wanting what someone else has, and it can lead to extreme cases of jealousy, being terrified of someone liking someone else better than yourself, or fearing the loss of something you already have.
The definition of "envy" is to want what belongs to someone else. That is a really a very simple way of putting it, I guess.
In lots of ways, I guess a whole lot of us have suffered from envy at some point in our lives - I know I definitely have. Here I was stuck in a family of Mum and Dad and three other siblings, all with amazing singing voices (except me and Mum), and having to listen to them over and over again.
I was actually quite envious of them - so many times I watched them all perform and had to well and truly take a back seat.
It wasn't till good old Mum sat me down and explained in great detail that envy is a resentful, dissatisfied, and extreme desire and longing to be like someone else or to want their talents or even their possessions.
I was really taken aback by what she said. Here was I thinking, "I want what they have got," and I received quite a shock when she explained we all have our unique lives and we are all so different!
Envy is, as the Bible explains, an act of humanity and is the result of sin, which unfortunately is in all of us.
There are lots of types of sin in the world, from hatred, jealousy, rage, etc, etc. If you look in the Bible in Galatians chapter 5, it says quite plainly that those of us who live like this will NOT inherit the Kingdom of God.
Now that to me is pretty scary, so I will quote from Galatians 5:19-21: "The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and ENVY; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will NOT inherit the kingdom of God."
And so it goes on in the Bible, with Esau and Jacob, Rachael and Leah, Saul and David, and so on. It's well worth the read when you have the time; it is really very interesting.
Envy is a heart thing, and it can really muck you around - I am so pleased that my Mum, all those years ago, dragged me screaming over the fact that I should never lust after what others have and be so content with what you do have - regardless of what that may be.
Trusting in Jesus as Lord of our lives is really THE only way to avoid envy - does that mean you will never ever be envious of anything or anyone? Unfortunately, no, it doesn't mean that - we will all fall into the trap of being envious of something or someone BUT being aware of what has befallen you, coming to God in prayer and asking His forgiveness is really all you need to do.
He will certainly forgive our downfall IF we are truly sorry for being caught in Satan's net of lies and traps, and God will forgive - He has promised to do so, and he certainly will if you truly come to Him and ask Him to.
FORGIVE means to completely start anew - get rid of the old - pardon the past - start anew - cancel all sorts of debts. Forgiveness is an act of pure love and certainly means holding nothing against the person who has wronged you. Tough? Yep, can be! But with, God on our side, we CAN forgive - and we can also ask forgiveness if we feel we have certainly wronged someone in the past.
Takes courage to do that, and unfortunately, when we do ask for forgiveness, that person may decide not to forgive - that is entirely up to them, but the miraculous thing about that is that God knows YOUR heart and He is fully aware that you asked for forgiveness, which came from your heart regardless of whether that person decides to forgive or not.
So, where are you with your walk with God?
Come to Him today - ask His forgiveness and also ask Him to come and lead your life. Hand your life over to Him.
God bless you this week - any questions, please ask, and we will try to help.
No comments:
Post a Comment