Tag Archives: Envy

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A Moment Of Clarity

Making Life Work
Read: Psalm 73
Focus: Psalm 73:2-3,17

But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked… Till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.

Haven’t we all had those moments when we’ve envied the prosperity of the wicked? We see the lavish lifestyles of the rich and famous—the luxury cars they drive, the jewelry they wear, the vacations they take, the enormous homes they own—complete with walk-in closets the size of the average living room—a gaggle of sycophants who tend to their every need, hang on their every word, and stroke their bloated ego.

And what did they do to come by such prosperity? Certainly nothing worthy of eternal accolades! For that matter, they did nothing to add any real lasting value to this world either except to look cool, rap out a few trashy lyrics, catch some air on a half pipe, shoot the ball through a hoop, or perhaps appear on one of the thousands of reality shows on TV these days and get famous for being famous. It’s not like they discovered a cure for cancer or solved world hunger or even made life better for even just one of the billions of people on this planet who could really use a helping hand.

So that’s my rant! And my point is, we sometimes look at how people like that live, and we envy. Perhaps we think, “Am I missing something? How come living the righteous life doesn’t bring those kinds of rewards?” After all, shouldn’t doing the right thing, living the holy life, doing our best to honor God have some payoffs here and now?

I’m reminded of the story of Henry C. Morrison, who after serving as a missionary for forty years in Africa, became sick and had to return to America. As his ship docked in New York harbor, there was a great crowd gathered to welcome home another passenger on that boat. Morrison watched as President Teddy Roosevelt received a grand welcome home party after his African Safari. Resentment seized Morrison and he turned to God in anger, “I have come back home after all this time and service to the church and there is no one, not even one person here to welcome me home.”

Then a still small voice came to Morrison and said, “You’re not home yet.”

And neither are you!

__________________

“God destines us for an end beyond the grasp of reason.” (Thomas Aquinas)

 

Making Life Work: Dear friend, don’t get so earth bound. Heaven is your real home, and it’s way beyond any of the ephemeral stuff the rich and famous enjoy for this brief season on earth. Next time you’re tempted to envy, come into the sanctuary—that place of intimacy with God—and allow the Holy Spirit to give you that moment of clarity—and pray for that moment to become a deeply ingrained way of thinking for you.

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Robe Envy

Essential 100—Read:
Genesis 37:1-36

“Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and couldn’t speak a kind word to him.” ~Genesis 37:3-4

One of the most messed up households you’ll ever come across is in the Bible—Jacob’s clan. Now what’s interesting about that is they are the family God chose to be his very own people. In itself, that is quite comforting since most of us come from flawed families—so there is hope for us.

What’s going on in Jacob’s family isn’t unusual. It happens in most every home to some degree. Joseph is favored because he’s the “son of Jacob’s old age”—and one day that favoritism took a concrete form when Jacob gave Joseph the robe.

The Hebrew word for robe is a little uncertain. The New International Version says it was, “a richly ornamented robe”. Other versions call it “a robe with long sleeves” while the King James Version famously translates it, “a coat of many colors”. Jacob got it from Saks; he bought the other boys theirs from K-Mart—on a blue light special.

This robe marked Joseph as dad’s pet, and every time his brothers saw him wear it, they were reminded that their father would never love them like he loved Joseph. And the text tells us three times of their growing “hatred” (Genesis 37:4,5,8); a hatred fueled by jealousy: “His brothers were jealous of him.” (Genesis 37:11)

Jealousy is such a pervasive sin among human beings, yet it is hardest of all sins to recognize. And it is exceedingly destructive! James 3:16 says, “Where you have jealousy … there you find disorder and every evil practice.” Jealousy leads us to do evil. It’s why Cain killed Abel. Abraham’s two sons, Isaac and Ishmael, were torn apart by rivalry. Bitter envy separated Isaac’s two sons, Jacob and Esau. It’s why Saul tried to kill David and the Jews did kill Jesus. (Mark 15:10)

Jealousy is the sense, real or not, that the favor—attention, recognition, reward—another receives somehow diminishes our value. If we’re not careful, the pain of not receiving the robe can do a real number on us. Perhaps you never wore the robe in your family, and even to this day, envy, hatred and jealousy is shrinking your heart, robbing you of joy and diminishing your experience of God’s acceptance.

If that is you, as hurtful and unfair as that experience has been in your life, it should help you to know that the One who saved you, Jesus, knows all about robes!

In his little community of disciples, the peace was often broken by rivalry and envy. And one day Jesus took off his robe, got a basin of water and a towel, and washed their feet. And he showed each of them his love. Yeah, Jesus knew about robes!

Then, because of envy, Jesus was handed over to Pilate, who had soldiers flog him. And they made him a crown of thorns and they mocked him. Then they stripped him of his robe, and crucified him. And hanging on that cross, he showed each of us his love. Yeah, Jesus knew about robes.

Maybe you never wore the robe in your family and maybe you never will in this life, but Revelation 6:11 says a day is coming when you will get a white robe! It was purchased with the blood of the One who willingly gave up his robe so you could wear one, and on that day you will fully know God’s infinite love for you. Yeah, Jesus knows about robes—you will too, one day soon!

Now here’s the deal: You don’t have to wait until then to know the Father’s love. You are wearing the robe right now (Isaiah 61:10)—you just may not realize it yet.

“Jesus Christ became Incarnate for one purpose, to make a way back to God that man might stand before Him as He was created to do, the friend and lover of God Himself.” ~Oswald Chambers

Reflect and Apply: If you never wore the robe or felt the love or received the affirmation you longed for from your parents, at some point in your life, recognizing and owning up to that pain is the first step to healing. Another step, if possible, will require you to approach your family—parents or siblings—and explain your pain. A further step is to renounce any envious actions, jealous attitudes or guarded woundedness. The final step is learning to receive love and acceptance in new ways by cultivating relationships in your faith community, and especially by learning how to receive it from God!

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A Moment Of Clarity

Read Psalm 73

Featured Verse: Psalm 73:2-3,17

“But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked…Till I entered the sanctuary of God;  then I understood their final destiny.”

Haven’t we all had those moments when we’ve envied the prosperity of the wicked? We see the lavish lifestyles of the rich and famous—the luxury cars they drive, the jewelry they wear, the vacations they take, the enormous homes they own—complete with walk-in closets the size of the average living room—a gaggle of sycophants who stroke their bloated ego, tend to their every need and hang on their every word.

And what did they do to come by such prosperity? Certainly nothing worthy of eternal accolades! For that matter, they did nothing to add any real lasting value to this world either except to look cool, rap out a few trashy lyrics, catch some air on a half pipe, shoot the ball through a hoop, or perhaps appear on one of the thousands of reality shows on TV these days and get famous for being famous. It’s not like they discovered a cure for cancer or solved world hunger or even made life better for even just one of the billions of people on this planet who could really use a helping hand.

So that’s my rant! And my point is, we sometimes look at how people like that live, and we envy. Perhaps we think, “Am I missing something? How come living the righteous life doesn’t bring those kinds of rewards?” After all, shouldn’t doing the right thing, living the holy life, doing our best to honor God have some payoffs here and now?

I’m reminded of the story of Henry C. Morrison, who after serving as a missionary for forty years in Africa, became sick and had to return to America. As his ship docked in New York harbor, there was a great crowd gathered to welcome home another passenger on that boat. Morrison watched as President Teddy Roosevelt received a grand welcome home party after his African Safari. Resentment seized Morrison and he turned to God in anger, “I have come back home after all this time and service to the church and there is no one, not even one person here to welcome me home.”

Then a still small voice came to Morrison and said, “You’re not home yet.”

And neither are you!

Dear friend, don’t get so earth bound. Heaven is your real home, and it’s way beyond any of the ephemeral stuff the rich and famous enjoy for this brief season on earth. Next time you’re tempted to envy, come into the sanctuary—that place of intimacy with God—and allow the Holy Spirit to give you that moment of clarity—and pray for that moment to become a deeply ingrained way of thinking for you.

“God destines us for an end beyond the grasp of reason.”
—Thomas Aquinas

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Psalm 73: A Moment Of Clarity

Read Psalm 73:1-28

A Moment Of Clarity

But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
I had nearly lost my foothold.
For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked…
Till I entered the sanctuary of God;
then I understood their final destiny.
(Psalm 73:2-3,17)

Haven’t we all had those moments when we’ve envied the prosperity of the wicked? We see the lavish lifestyles of the rich and famous—the luxury cars they drive, the jewelry they wear, the vacations they take, the enormous homes they own—complete with walk-in closets the size of the average living room—a gaggle of sycophants who tend to their every need, hang on their every word, and stroke their bloated ego.

And what did they do to come by such prosperity? Certainly nothing worthy of eternal accolades! For that matter, they did nothing to add any real lasting value to this world either except to look cool, rap out a few trashy lyrics, catch some air on a half pipe, shoot the ball through a hoop, or perhaps appear on one of the thousands of reality shows on TV these days and get famous for being famous. It’s not like they discovered a cure for cancer or solved world hunger or even made life better for even just one of the billions of people on this planet who could really use a helping hand.

So that’s my rant! And my point is, we sometimes look at how people like that live, and we envy. Perhaps we think, “Am I missing something? How come living the righteous life doesn’t bring those kinds of rewards?” After all, shouldn’t doing the right thing, living the holy life, doing our best to honor God have some payoffs here and now?

I’m reminded of the story of Henry C. Morrison, who after serving as a missionary for forty years in Africa, became sick and had to return to America. As his ship docked in New York harbor, there was a great crowd gathered to welcome home another passenger on that boat. Morrison watched as President Teddy Roosevelt received a grand welcome home party after his African Safari. Resentment seized Morrison and he turned to God in anger, “I have come back home after all this time and service to the church and there is no one, not even one person here to welcome me home.”

Then a still small voice came to Morrison and said, “You’re not home yet.”

And neither are you!

Dear friend, don’t get so earth bound. Heaven is your real home, and it’s way beyond any of the ephemeral stuff the rich and famous enjoy for this brief season on earth. Next time you’re tempted to envy, come into the sanctuary—that place of intimacy with God—and allow the Holy Spirit to give you that moment of clarity—and pray for that moment to become a deeply ingrained way of thinking for you.

“God destines us for an end beyond the grasp of reason.”
—Thomas Aquinas