But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t boast and deny the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from above but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there is disorder and every evil practice. James 3:14-16 CSB
We are studying 1 Samuel chapter 18 in our Sunday School class. David has just killed Goliath. Saul is coming to the harsh realization that while the Spirit of the Lord has departed from him, David is empowered by God’s Spirit. Saul is being tormented by the evil spirit because God is allowing it to happen.
It is causing Saul to exhibit jealousy and rage against David. Jealousy and rage often go hand in hand. James tells us in our Scripture passage today that jealousy and selfish ambition go hand in hand. He says not to brag about your jealousy. It’s not a good thing.
He goes on to say that this is not something that comes from above or from God but describes it as earthly, unspiritual, and even demonic. Jealousy has been described as the green-eyed monster. We often say that people are green with envy.
It causes bullying in our schools. It causes marriages to fail. It can cause trouble in the workplace. It can even lead to financial issues when it leads to overspending just to get what someone else has. No good comes from it. You may be reading this and saying you can’t help it if you envy someone. This is not true. James goes on to explain this in verses 17-18.
James explains that the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, and without pretense. It’s real. He goes on to say that the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace.
So how do we cultivate peace? Well, Paul said in Philippians 4:8 that we must keep our focus on what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and commendable. He tells us to dwell on anything that exhibits moral excellence and anything praiseworthy.
My friend only One meets this criterion and that is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We are to keep our focus on Him. We are not to lose sight of Him and His plans for us. We are to acknowledge Him in all our ways and rely on Him (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Jealousy and rage creep in when we lose focus. No good comes from it. We must trust in the Lord. We must keep our eyes focused on Him and our heavenly home. What is down here is temporary. We are just visitors passing through, this is not our eternal home.
1 Peter 2:1 tells us to remove malice, deceit, bitterness, envy, and slander of every kind. Jealousy leads to rage and a whole host of other problems. Ephesians 4:31 tells us to remove bitterness, wrath, anger, fighting, evil speaking, and malice.
As Christians, there is no room in our lives for jealousy and rage. We are to imitate Christ and by doing so, lead others to Him. We can’t do this if we are filled with envy and all the problems it causes.
When we focus on Christ, we realize He is all we need. If we set our sights on Him and trust in Him, He will provide all other things we need and sometimes even the things we want.
If you have feelings of jealousy, let them go before they cause more trouble. Focus on God and trust in Him to provide all you need. When we want what someone else has, it’s like saying that what God blesses us with is not enough.
Be thankful for all you have and trust in Him.
Have a great day!