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Gangrene With Envy
Brian Mashburn
February 10, 2013
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Envy
What is envy, exactly?
I think it was Benjamin Franklin that is attributed with the saying, "If you want to know a girl's faults, praise her to her girlfriends."
If that quote makes a small smirk pop across your face, then you already know exactly what envy is. And with a just a little more thoughtfulness, the smirk created by that quip will evaporate into a sobering sadness.
Opportunities for envy are everywhere.
It happens when someone gets first chair or makes first string. It happens when someone gets pregnant. It happens when someone gets engaged. It happens when someone gets the job. It happens when someone wins the lottery. It happens when someone wins an election. It happens when someone is healed of cancer. It happens when someone performs well. It happens when a family is healthy, a marriage is happy, or a child gets honored. It happens when a business succeeds. It happens when a church does well. It happens. And it happens a lot.
Envy caused King Saul and a whole nation to fall apart (1 Sam 18:9). Envy is listed by Paul with murder, deceit, strife, and malice (Rm. 1:29). Envy is what caused religious leaders to crucify Jesus (Mt 27:18). And envy will steal the kingdom of God from you (Gal 5:21).
I guess that's why Peter says to rid yourself of it (1 Pt. 2:1). That can't be done without a perspective change that we will talk about today. It's an inside (of you) job that needs to be done.