Jealousy is an internal feeling that we all try to hide within ourselves. While jealousy may seem harmless, it actually has the power to hurt ourselves and others. Jealousy stops us from seeing the good happening around us. Jealousy blinds.
I hate to admit this, but I’m a jealous person.
It’s easy for me to make everything a competition. I always want to be the best at everything – whether it’s being the most fashionable person out there or beating my co-worker at work, I’m always striving to be number one. Yet what I failed to realize was that my jealous feelings were only hurting myself, others, and God.
God opened my eyes and showed me the harm that my own Jealousy was causing to His kingdom building. God’s plan for me was to draw more people to Christ through showing love, yet my jealous actions were only stopping me from loving others.
Jealousy leads us to work against God rather than for God.
My envious feelings were only torturing my joy, and I found myself hurting others without realizing it. When everything becomes about us, it’s impossible to love others because we’re focused on our own needs. Jealousy takes away God’s perspective in our lives and replaces it with a selfish perspective that forgets the importance of others.
Jealousy blinds us from seeing the beautiful work that God is doing in others lives.
A great example of the dangers of jealousy is found in Acts 5 which talks about the jealousy of the high priests and Sadducees. Peter and the other Apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit and healed many people. While everyone was praising God for the miracles that were happening through the Apostles, the high priests were filled with jealousy and wanted the Apostles to stop preaching Jesus and to stop the miracles.
Their jealousy blinded their own eyes from seeing the beautiful work that God was doing through the Apostles lives. Acts 5:17-18 says, “Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. They arrested the apostles and put them in public jail.”
It’s ironic that the high priest who were looked upon by society as experts in knowing God were the ones who ended up working against God’s plans. The Sadducees’ pride and jealousy blinded them from seeing the truth of Jesus that God revealed through the Apostles. The high priests couldn’t accept the fact that uneducated men knew more than them.
If we are not careful, we too can be blinded by jealousy. As much as we know God, we must still guard ourselves against Jealousy. Jealousy can creep in without us realizing and lead us to work against the will of God even when we never intended it.
Jealousy stems from an “all about me” mentality that we must get rid of. When we’re all about us, we can never be all about God. We must put God first before our own feelings and desires, and trust that God’s way is best for us. When we humble ourselves and put others before ourselves, God will lift us up in his time.
1 Peter 5:6 says, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” When we try to lift ourselves up we will end up doing it at the expense of others, but when God lifts us up he becomes glorified to all.
Are there people in your life that you find yourself being jealous over? Will you trust in God and put that other person’s needs above your own knowing that in the right time, God will provide all you need? God is a good father, and he rewards those who are faithful to him.
When we realize what all we have and need comes from God, we no longer need to be jealous or take things into our own hands. Our job is to be faithful to God’s word, and he will provide all else. God knows your deepest desires, so trust that he is the best one to provide for you. So remember, jealousy blinds.
Prayer: Lord, help me to not be blinded by my jealousy so that I can see the beautiful work you are doing in others.
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