Continuing with our love series Pastor Wendall Ward enlightens us on why love does not envy. He goes on to share what envy is, where it comes from. Most importantly, we will learn how to overcome it.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 says Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
Paul’s Words on Envy
The Apostle Paul talks about how love doesn’t envy. His remarks are in the context of the divisions and quarrels that were present in the church at Corinth. He explains that envy and jealousy are destructive feelings that can cause chaos, especially in the body of Christ. Paul suggests that the way to overcome envy is by focusing on being true to oneself and respecting the unique creation of each individual. (compare Psalm 139:13-14, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made…”)
Opposites, Love and Envy
Paul’s use of envy as a contrast to love is in the broader context of the church at Corinth and the immediate context of 1 Corinthians 12, which describes the various gifts of the Spirit and the interrelated and interdependent nature of the body of Christ. He characterized the Corinthian church as one with “quarrels” and “divisions. Such an environment would have lent itself easily to envy and jealousy which would have kept the church in the chaotic condition of divisiveness described in 1:12, “One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.”
Envy and Jealousy
Usually envy and jealousy go hand in hand. Envy is the nagging, negative feeling we can get when somebody prospers. Especially if that somebody is a person for whom we do not have a particular fondness. It’s even worse if they posses something we really want. Left unchecked, envy will conjure a desire to deprive a person of their blessing. Or, at least, diminish what they have in the eyes of others. Without repentance, envy will quickly evolve into its equally evil twin, jealousy –the covetous desire to have another’s blessing.
Preventing Envy From Ruling in Our Hearts- Be Yourself
In Romans 12:6, the apostle Paul describes the attitude that will prevent envy from ruling our hearts, “…Let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t” –THE MSG. So, we overcome envy by the greater revelation of what we were meant to be. Put your energy in discovering that truth in your life and do not compare yourself to any other. You are “fearfully and wonderfully made;” respect yourself and others as the unique creations and expressions of God we were designed to be.
Here are the links to the other blogs in the series. Love is Patient, https://bethewordministry.com/love-is-patient/
and Love is Kind https://bethewordministry.com/love-is-kind/