Love does not Envy: Part 3

Avoiding envy

Here are some keys from the scripture to help overcome envy.

Empty Yourself

“But emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:7-8 NASV)

Often times, we are so full of ourselves that we have no room for God or anyone else. We are so full of our own lives, goals, and dreams that we rarely stop to consider our spouse, our family, or others. We need to learn how to lay aside our own goals and plans in order to help others to achieve theirs. One thing I've noticed about my children is their need to be first. They have to have the biggest and the best of whatever anyone else has, especially when it's their brother or sister. Part of emptying our selves is to be willing to come last. To be willing to let others come first, to consider others as more important than ourselves. Abraham understood this when he and his nephew Lot were about to separate. Instead of demanding the best of the land for himself, he let Lot have first pick.

“So Abram said to Lot, ‘Please let there be no strife between you and me, nor between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are brothers. Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me; if to the left, then I will go to the right; or if to the right, then I will go to the left.’” (Genesis 13:8-9)

Abraham knew that he had an inheritance from God. He knew that no one could take that inheritance away from him. He trusted God that, no matter what happened, God's promise to him would come true. Because of his faith, God rewarded him and gave all the land to Abraham.

“The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, ‘Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever.’” (Genesis 13:14-15)

Abraham did not insist on being first. He did not place his desires above others. He placed others first and, in the end, God gave to him more than he could have ever imagined.

Hold Things Loosely

“Who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped.” (Philippians 2:6)

The Greek word translated as “robbery” in the King James Version can also be translated as the lesser used English word “rapine.” Rapine refers not only to the seizing of something, but also the retaining of what was seized. It refers to the taking of anything we deem to be a prize and then holding fast to it. The Scripture teaches us that Jesus held fast to nothing. Even being “equal with God” was not so dear to Him that He couldn't lay it aside to do the will of the Father. Jesus held everything with an open hand. He was willing at any moment to lay it all aside if it be His Father's will.

We need to be people who have open hands. We must guard our hearts from grasping for the things of this world, lest we find that we have let go of the things of God. Jesus taught us that when we hold onto our lives and our possessions we often end up loosing what we have been trying to hold onto.

“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:25)

The secret of gaining our lives is learning to lose them in the service of others and of God. It is like the parable of the seed that must die and be planted before it yields any fruit. If we allow God to put to death our selfish ambitions, if we allow our lives to be planted the field of service, then God will raise us up and grant to us His ambitions and desires that we might bear much fruit. Only by dying can we find true life.

Be Content

“But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.” (1 Timothy 6:6-8)

It is possible to be rich in the things of the world yet poor in soul. Often we find ourselves desiring things that have no real eternal value. Jesus Himself said that there is no profit in gaining the world and at the same time, loosing our soul. True treasure is that which enriches the soul. The greatest gain the soul can know is to become rich in godliness and contentment. Contentment means that we begin to value our lives by a different standard; we begin to see our lives in consisting of more than the things we possess.

“And He said to His disciples, ‘For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.’” (Luke 12:22-23)

Contentment also frees us to consider the needs of others. It frees us from being self-absorbed and introspective. Our needs no longer take front stage. We are able to walk in the kingdom of God without “regard to our need.” Paul learned this when he said, “Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.” (Philippians 4:11)

The secret to contentment is realizing that we have not been left alone; there is one who looks us cares for us. Jesus said that He would not leave us as orphans, but rather, we now have a heavenly Father who cares about our needs. “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.’” (Hebrews 13:5)

More to come… David Robison