Envy

Proverbs 23:17

“Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always continue in the fear of the Lord.”

There is this very large house in the town in which I grew up.  You might even call it a mansion.  While it was being built, the owner of the home put a large sign up in the front yard, very near the road, that read, “Watch and see what God will do for me.”

People began to drive by as each phase of the mansion was completed.  After it was completed, the sign was changed to “See what God has done for me.”  

There was only one problem.  The owner was arrested and put in jail for dealing in drugs before he could move in.  The mansion sat empty for years, and the sign remained in front of the house near the road until it fell down in a windstorm.

The outward appearance of glamor and opulence was a cover for the owner's inner poverty.

We should not waste our energy envying others.  

Our time is better spent with the Lord.

“So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.”            

 (1 Peter 2:1)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)