The older I get, the more I realize how much I sabotage my own deep desire to be fully loved. We all want to be fully loved, don’t we? Of course! The fact is, we can’t be loved like we need to until we learn to identify AND eject a nasty enemy that camps out in nearly EVERY empty space in our heart: ENVY.
Envy is an enemy of love, because when we’re envious, we can’t be close to God—Who IS love. What’s interesting is that envy is not rooted so much in wanting what someone else has—as it is—a failure to find our greatest satisfaction in God.
Dissatisfaction with God is original sin.
Think about it—if Eve had been satisfied with God would she have thought she needed to eat the fruit? Envy is SELF destructive. The Bible says:
“For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.” (James 3:16)
James 3:16
Envy, if allowed to grow in our heart, becomes a monster capable of every kind of evil. What begins as an envious thought can end in unspeakable tragedy. The story of Cain and Abel bespeaks of the great tragedy of envy. (Genesis 4:1-16)
Envy takes many forms.
It can be subtle. It manifests itself mostly in ways that rob us of purest joy. We fail to find joy in seeing other people blessed with the things or relationships we think we deserve; and thus, we push them away. WE PUSH AWAY LOVE! When we must always seek to be in the spotlight, seek our own happiness, or make everything about us–it’s a sure sign we’re trapped in the ugly claws of envy. The Bible has a simple answer:
“Love does not envy.”
1 Corinthians 13:4
In order to consistently love others with all of our heart, we must root out envy–as soon as we detect it.
Our hearts are incapable of loving and envying at the same time.
Love requires more than one person. If we want to experience a deep love relationship then we must learn to rejoice purely in their blessings. We should never make someone else’s blessings a pity party about what we don’t have. The only way to consistently do this is by finding our greatest satisfaction in God. Finding our security in God’s love is the remedy for envy. The closer we are to Him, the more secure we become in who He made us and what He’s given us.
Our security in God’s love frees us from envy and allows us to enter into the remarkable experience of loving others without expecting anything in return.
We would love to hear your thoughts about this devotional. Did God speak to you or challenge your daily walk with him? Or is there a topic that you would like Kimberly to cover or expound on? Please share with us in the comments below.
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2 Responses
Go Faith Strong i would like to Thank You for the Beautiful Storys that You write down i would like to know if You give out Free Books or other stuff so that i could have the other Women and Childern in my Church to read things that You put out my address is connie beese 148 Judson Drive apartment 142H Beaver Dam Wisconsin 53916 Thank You
We have books on Amazon. I don’t have any children’s books. My music is free on Spotify and other music platforms and on this website. 🙂