Envy is an enemy of love, because when we’re envious, we can’t be close to God, who IS love. What’s interesting is that envy is not rooted so much in wanting what someone else has–as it is—in our failure to find our greatest satisfaction in God. Dissatisfaction with God is original sin. Think about it—if Eve had been satisfied with God would she have thought she needed to eat the fruit? Envy is destructive.

The Bible says: “For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.” (‭James‬ ‭3:16‬)

Envy, if allowed to grow in our soul, becomes a monster capable of every kind of evil. What begins as an envious thought can end in unspeakable tragedy. The story of Cain and Able bespeaks of the great tragedies of envy. (Genesis 4:1-16) Envy takes many forms and it can be subtle. It manifests itself mostly in ways that rob us of purest joy. We fail to find joy in seeing other people blessed with the things or relationships we think we deserve and thus, we push them away. When we must always seek to be in the spotlight, seek our own happiness, or make everything about us–it’s a sure sign we’re trapped in the claws of envy. The Bible has a simple answer:

Love does not envy. (1 Corinthians 13:4)

In order to consistently love others with all of our heart, we must root out envy–as soon as we detect it. Our hearts are incapable of loving and envying at the same time. If you want to have true friends, then you must be one. True friends sincerely rejoice over each other’s the blessings. We should never make someone else’s blessings a pity party about what we don’t have. Finding our security in God’s love is the remedy for envy. The closer we are to Him, the more secure we become in who He made us and what He’s given us.

Security in God’s love frees us from envy and then—we experience joy when He blesses others.

From the book, “Essential Faith” Volume 2 available on Amazon by clicking HERE .