Merva’s Verse4Monday
Matthew 20:9,10
July 17, 2017
“Those hired at five o’clock came up and were each given a dollar.
When those that were hired first saw that, they assumed they would
get far more!” Matthew 20:9-10 (The Message)
Do you know how to overcome envy??
I think it’s to stop comparing yourself to others!
Did you know that comparing is the root of all envy?
Do you remember the parable of the vineyard workers? The first mistake was made when the ones who were hired last “came up and were each given a dollar. And, when those who were hired first saw that, they assumed they would get far more.” In other words, they started making comparisons:
“Look what they’re getting. So we’re going to get more.
We deserve more”.
(Kind of greedy, don’t you think??)
The Bible says over and over again to never compare yourself to anyone else for two reasons:
First, you’re unique.
God made you special…there’s nobody like you!
HE made the mold, and then He broke it!!
You’re not comparable to anyone else!
Second, if you do start comparing, it’s always going to
lead to one of two sins: PRIDE or ENVY.
When you compare yourself to others, you’re either going to think
“I’m doing better than they are,” and you get full of PRIDE.
Then…“they’re doing better than I”, and you get full of ENVY.
PRIDE and ENVY are both sins.
I didn’t know that…did you??
You know that envy occurs when you don’t really know someone intimately.
You can see a person’s strengths and successes from a distance, but
it’s different when you get closer to them…you see their hurts, habits, and hang-ups. Everyone has hidden pain, don’t they. When you see people at a distance, it’s easier to miss their fears and faults.
Then…there’s no better way to get to know people up close and personal than in a small group. “If we all put our problems in a big pile at the center of a room and looked at them, at the end of the evening, we’d probably all take our problems back and go home.”
What do YOU think?
When you get to know people closely, you don’t envy them. BUT, you CAN learn how to pray for them.
ENVY isolates us. Fellowship binds us together and helps us get to know each other so we can stop comparing ourselves to others.
Who is someone you envy, or have envied before? What could you do to get to know that person better? Do you know what gifts God may have given you that make you unique? All these questions have to do with envy and how it might help you to understand them AND yourselves better.
WHAT do YOU think???
Merva Hand