We know that envy is one of the seven deadly sins. This daily devotional looks at how mature disciples of Christ can control envy.
Nuggets
- We tend to look out for ourselves first.
- Sometimes, rivalry can be for a noble purpose.
- Envy is one of those things that can slip up on us – and then engulf us.
Devotions in the Maturity Is Composure series
How Do Mature Disciples Control Their Envy?
Listed as one of the seven deadly sins, envy is an emotion that can be very destructive. Delany wrote that envy is “… the most malignant and hateful passion in human nature, the worst weed of the worst soil.”
However, envy is very common in the world today. Let’s take a look at it.
Let's Put It into Context
Composure is a mental steadiness, keeping a even temper under stress.
We each have a spirit that encompasses thoughts, passions, and emotions. Our spirit is that core of us that houses our character. It is, essentially, the us in us.
We need to control that spirit — not have it control us. If our spirit controls us, Satan is controlling us.
Delany defined envy as “… a pain or uneasiness, arising from an apprehension of the prosperity and good fortune of others; not because we suffer for their welfare, but merely because their condition is bettered.”
Resource
Ooo, baby. Isn’t it easy to read envy is because someone’s condition is better than ours. But if you look at this, it reads, “… their condition is bettered.”
They moved up in the world somehow, and we didn’t in ours. That fits more in line with Blagrave’s definition of envy. He saw the discontentment coming from our acknowledgment of someone else’s prosperity, which causes our hatred and vindictiveness to surface.
Resource
What Is Envy?
“A stone is heavy, and sand a burden, but aggravation from a fool outweighs them both. Fury is cruel, and anger a flood, but who can withstand jealousy?” (Prov. 27: 3-4 CSB)
Ooo, baby. I started reading the research for this post and hit a doozy two paragraphs in.
Delaney wrote, “That all mankind in reality consult their own interest best, when they contribute to the good of the whole.”
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We tend to look out for ourselves first. Oh, yes. We may be contributing to society as a whole — and it may be for society’s good.
But it is for our good first. We may be wanting to save the kids — but first, we want to feel like we are contributing. We want to experience the pleasure we get from our actions. Sometimes, we just want to tell ourselves that we have an excess to share.
You are probably saying, “Well, okay, Chick. But what does that have to do with envy?”
Envy puts the whole kibosh to the pleasure we get from serving others. That is bad news.
Service is an act based on belief in God that comes from a response of worship by acknowledging His power through our submission. Envy means we are focusing on ourselves and the worldview notion of competition rather than this coming out of a worship experience.
It boils down to what really is the trigger. Are we saving the kids because the kids need saving. Or is it because someone famous is getting recognition for being in this organization, and we want a piece of that recognition?
Another word we use for envy is jealousy. Jealousy focuses on the rivalry. That makes it more of a competition.
I thought it was interesting that Blagrave’s pointed out that envy comes when the status of those perceived as inferior or equal to us changes. He did not mention those we perceive as superior to us in whatever circumstance.
Resource
How I read that is we can be resigned to the fact that those who we see as “better off” than we are are in that position, even if that gap is widening. We don’t like thinking someone we see as inferior or equal are leap frogging over us.
We can work on overtaking those who we see are better off than us. If someone passes us up, we’ve “lost” whatever race we are running.
Maclaren addressed what fool meant in these verses. He said a fool is someone who concentrates in the insignificant while ignoring the significant. We know we want to focus on the most significant and the most urgent things.
Resource
We just have to keep in mind that we have to use God’s definition of most significant and most urgent. We can’t just focus on our priorities or the world’s.
When Is Envy a Good Thing?
But then Delany threw in another kicker. He wrote, “There is a strong jealousy of preeminence and superiority implanted in our nature by Almighty God, for wise and noble purposes.”
Wait! What? God is the One Who made us jealous??? It didn’t come as a result of the original sin??????
Glossary
I have to process this. Sometimes, rivalry can be for a noble purpose.
Delany called this emulation. In other words, we are wanting to imitate someone else because we want what they have.
Oh, yeah. Like we are supposed to emulation Jesus. We want His character because His character is like God’s character.
Blagrave throws out a big caution, though. We have to make sure we know the difference between what is emulation and what is envy.
Resource
Satan twists things around until we are envying world things that others have. That makes envy a sin.
What Are the Signs of Envy?
Envy is one of those things that can slip up on us – and then engulf us. The thought may slip into my head that Sally is prettier than I am.
The thought itself isn’t necessarily a sin. It is what we do with it.
If we say, “I am so glad for Sally,” it’s all good. If we say, “I hate Sally because she is prettier than me,” we’ve just tipped into sin.
Resource
Then Sally gets into an accident, and she has to have stitches all over her face. We are talking major scars.
If we say, “What can we do for Sally to ease her recuperation?,” we’re good. If we say, “Serves her right. Now, her beauty is taken away,” we’ve not only tipped but we’ve dived headfirst into sin.
Maybe Tom is the one who is trying to ease her recuperation. If we try to help him, we’re good. If we tell him, “Oh, but Sally isn’t appreciative of your efforts” — especially when she is — we have sinned.
We can get really cantankerous the more envy we feel. Not good, people.
Lawson cautioned us that it is harder to see envious behavior. We can be fairly adept at masking it.
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So, what are the signs that envy is creeping up within us?
• We cut ourselves down when comparing us to others.
• We increasingly become mean-spirited to other people.
• We begin to interfere with their relationships with others.
Making the Connections
But how does all of this hook to composure? Remember back in How Do Mature Disciples Control Our Dispositions?, we said that God is looking for us to be even keeled.
God isn’t look for us to go to an extreme – which envy is. It is extreme anger or extreme jealousy.
Oh, yes. Envy can lead quickly to anger. Ann felt that we need God to help us keep anger and envy in balance. He doesn’t think we can do this by ourselves.
Resource
I thought it was interesting that Blagrave stated that “envy is its own punishment.” I think that is true. Once we get on the I-want-what-they-have kick, it will be hard to stop it.
When will what we have be enough?
If we are never satisfied, that leads us to even more dissatisfaction. That lets the anger step in and sabotage it even more.
Then, we are anything but composed.
We also have to think about how envy is caused by vanity. When we have an inflated image of ourselves — either who we are or what we deserve — that makes us envious of those we see who have it.
Making the Connections to Self-Discipline
We have to watch the effects of envy by utilizing self-discipline. If we are evaluating ourselves so that we can improve, envy is a biggy for which we will have to keep alert.
How Do We Apply This?
- Change our attitude. We have to set our minds on following God’s laws and commandments.
- Watch our attitude to keep it in check so that we are content with what He gives us.
- Choose what is right in God’s eyes over what we want.
- Continually evaluate where we are on the sanctification road.
- Work on being humble.
- Work on truly being submissive to God.
- Work on our love for others.
Resource
Glossary
This is setting us up for where we are going in the next series. We are going to be looking at contentment. Before we do that, I am going to throw in a couple of Sunday Morning Bible Study devotions.
Father God. We don’t want to be envious of other people. We don’t want to think we are better than them or in a competition with them. We want to emulate Jesus. We want to strive to have His character. When we do, we will respond in love to our neighbors. Help us to succeed in becoming like Jesus. Amen.
What do you think?
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