Love does not Envy: Part 1

Envy is a disease, or cancer, that attacks our soul. It often begins small, innocuous, and difficult to detect. Its initial symptoms can even be mistaken for positive qualities in a person, such as passion, commitment, and a will to succeed. However, like a cancer, when left unchecked, the sin of envy grows and spreads until it permeates and influences every area of our lives. Envy eats away our life from the inside out. When envy is mature, there is little left in a person's life except for their envy. Solomon described envy as a rottenness that attacks us on the inside.

“A sound heart is life to the body, but envy is rottenness to the bones.” (Proverbs 14:30)

Our bones give strength and stature to our bodies. Without our bones we could not stand, walk, or sit. Envy robs us of our strength. A heart filled with envy lacks the strength to live a Godly life. We lack the strength of spirit to say “no” to our flesh and “yes” to God. As envy grows within us, we grow in bondage to our lusts and our desire. Our bones also produce the life giving blood that distributes oxygen and food to every cell in our body. Envy not only robs us of our strength, but it also robs us of life itself. Envy consumes all that is important to us. It consumes our relationship with God and our relationships with those we love. It consumes our peace, our joy, and our contentment, leaving behind only a burning desire for more. A life consumed by envy, is devoid of all else except the envy that consumes it.

Envy not only affects us personally but it also affects the lives of those around us. Paul said, “For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.” (James 3:16 NKJV) When envy enters a relationship, it brings with it a tumult of disorder, instability, and confusion. Instead of peace and harmony, there is a constant commotion that unsettles the soul. Envy opens the door to the activity of Satan in our relationships. James speaks of “every evil thing”. Other translations speak of the presence of “every evil work.” Envy is like a breach in the wall that allows the enemy to come in, to set up camp, and to begin to work for evil in our lives and in our relationships. When our relationships are bearing the fruit of commotion, confusion, and “every evil thing”, this fruit is not from the Lord. Paul reminds us that, “God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.” (1 Corinthians 14:33 NKJV) Envy, and the fruit of it, is not from God. It comes from our sinful nature and is fuelled by hell. Love does not envy. If we desire to show the Love of God to others, we must first eradicate envy from our lives. Then, instead of confusion and every evil work, we will find peace and the fruit of the Spirit.

More to come… David Robison