Love Does Not Envy! Smack dab in the middle of 1 Corinthians 13:4. Pretty self explanatory right? Let’s say it louder for those in the back. Love. Does. Not. Envy. Easy to understand, hard to do.
What is the opposite of being jealous? Is it being content with your own situation? Is it trusting your significant other not to stray? I’d like to propose that just like Jesus took the law and moved it down into our hearts (not just don’t murder, but don’t hate etc), we should do the same here. The opposite of being jealous then is cheering on others. It is supporting them and encouraging them even when they get something that I would have liked to have.
We know of at least one life destroyed by envy in the bible. Israel’s first king Saul started off pretty well, but then started to doubt his place and became jealous of his popular son-in-law. The story is quite a drama and is found in 1 Samuel. He let his perceived ideas of how people thought of him versus David consume his life. He stopped doing his job as a king just to pursue one man who wasn’t even trying to take over the job. Saul tried to kill David multiple times and David had many opportunities to retaliate and never did.
Don’t let envy consume you. Be content with your situation, but also be happy for others. Cheer them on. Love them! When someone gets something you think you wanted, trust God. He has something even better for you.
