EIF - ENewsletter

The Issues of Envy and Jealousy
By Dr. Betty Price

First Peter 2:1-3 tell us what to do about these issues that keep us from having God’s peace in our lives:

Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is Gracious.

We can do that if we know the Lord. We lay aside all that malice, envy, deceit, evil speaking, and all the other junk that continually goes on in the body of Christ. I don’t understand people. Why would you be jealous of anyone because they got a new car? Why would you care where they got it from? “How did they get that car?” people ask. Well, that is none of your business. You’re not paying for it. All the jealousies and all that envy going on in your head—wasting your time worrying about what someone else has and the gifts and talents they have. God expects you to use what you have. He is the only One that you have to please. You can’t be looking at somebody else.

Keep your eyes straight ahead. Do what you are supposed to do. If you are not looking at somebody else, you won’t know what they are doing and you will not have to be tempted to be jealous of them. You can’t do anything about what they have anyway. If they are gifted, you can’t do anything about it. You can’t do anything about it. You can’t take their gift---God gave it to them. If they have a whole lot of hair and I wish I had a lot of hair, I am not going to be jealous of somebody else’s hair because I can’t get it. It doesn’t pay to be jealous and envious of anybody because you can’t get what they have. All you do is make yourself miserable and you could get into sin. It must be horrible to be always concerned about what somebody else has. You can save yourself a lot of energy, strength, worry, and unhappiness if you make the effort to avoid being envious.

Proverbs 16:7 says, “When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” That is a wonderful scripture to memorize.



The Issues of Envy and Jealousy By Dr. Betty Price First Peter 2:1-3 tell us what to do about these issues that keep us from having God’s peace in our lives: Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is Gracious. We can do that if we know the Lord. We lay aside all that malice, envy, deceit, evil speaking, and all the other junk that continually goes on in the body of Christ. I don’t understand people. Why would you be jealous of anyone because they got a new car? Why would you care where they got it from? “How did they get that car?” people ask. Well, that is none of your business. You’re not paying for it. All the jealousies and all that envy going on in your head—wasting your time worrying about what someone else has and the gifts and talents they have. God expects you to use what you have. He is the only One that you have to please. You can’t be looking at somebody else. Keep your eyes straight ahead. Do what you are supposed to do. If you are not looking at somebody else, you won’t know what they are doing and you will not have to be tempted to be jealous of them. You can’t do anything about what they have anyway. If they are gifted, you can’t do anything about it. You can’t do anything about it. You can’t take their gift---God gave it to them. If they have a whole lot of hair and I wish I had a lot of hair, I am not going to be jealous of somebody else’s hair because I can’t get it. It doesn’t pay to be jealous and envious of anybody because you can’t get what they have. All you do is make yourself miserable and you could get into sin. It must be horrible to be always concerned about what somebody else has. You can save yourself a lot of energy, strength, worry, and unhappiness if you make the effort to avoid being envious. Proverbs 16:7 says, “When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” That is a wonderful scripture to memorize.

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