nothing destroys friendships faster than envy. it can destroy families by sibling rivalry. it can destroy businesses. it can destroy neighborhoods. it can even cause nations to go at war with each other. simply out of envy. this is one destructive sin.
so if it’s so destructive, then how do we rout it out of our lives?
sometimes you learn what to do by looking at what not to do. in the parable of the vineyard workers in matthew 20, JESUS tells us the story of some people who become very envious. a farmer goes out and he hires five different kinds of day workers.
he starts out with the workers at the start of the day, then he goes out four more times and hires four other guys. to the first guys, he says, “i’ll pay you a set wage.” they contract for a dollar a day, which was the going rate at that time. to the other guys he goes and picks up for day workers he says, “i’ll just pay you what’s fair” and they don’t even agree on an amount. so they’re just trusting in his generosity to be fair. so at the end of the day he decides to pay them in reverse. he decides, “i’m just going to pay everybody the same amount.” he didn’t pay the people who worked all day any less. they got exactly what that had contracted for – a dollar a day.
what made them upset was that other people were given what they felt they didn’t deserve. so they became very, very envious. now in this story one thing we learn is that if you want to get envy out of your life, you must first stop comparing yourself to others.
comparing is at the root of all envy. and comparing was the very first mistake made by these workers. matthew 29.10 (msg) says, those hired last came up and were each given a dollar. and when those who were hired first saw that, they assumed they would get far more. in other words, they started making comparisons: “look what they’re getting.”
the bible says over and over again, never compare yourself to anybody else. the bible says it’s dumb, unwise. you’re never to compare the way you look. you’re never to compare your income. you’re not to compare your intelligence. you’re not to compare your kids. you’re not to compare your husband or wife or your job or anything else. the bible says do not do that.
just a thought from the front porch…
5 comments:
"All comparisons are odious," as the old proverb says. So much misery in the world today because people are not content with who they are.
so very true.
As a theology student, I feel there are always mitigating circumstances with respect to any Holy Scripture. In order for enslaved Africans in America could argue for equality there had to be a comparison of the disparate treatment of the races.
that is true. the key is the comparing led to a positive action of change and not a negative response with no action.
Great blog.
Stop by and visit.
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