Keeps Disappointment Permanently On Vacation…

I can’t completely paint a full image of this, but I can say you are only hurting yourself and others when you envy someone who appears to be succeeding by doing it the wrong way. We are not to envy sinners. It creates dissension in our lives, specifically in our own head. It’s Satan’s ploy to get our minds off of God, so he specializes in ways that accomplish this. One of the best ways is to turn our focus on ourselves. That’s exactly what envy does. Too much attention on ourselves eventually leads to depression. Why? When we “feel” like we don’t measure up, we get down. When we stay down, we don’t think about God. Comparing is one of the worst things we can ever do. Remember how the NT tells us about how each body part serves a purpose? And the eye doesn’t say to the hand “I don’t need you” (1 Cor 12). Each serves a purpose. Envy and comparing go hand in hand. They focus our attention on ourselves, turning it away from the Almighty. When we place our Hope in God, Who doesn’t change, it anchors our soul. The rewards that come from knowing where our attention should be, and then doing our best to keep it there, will be the sustaining power that gets us through tough times. And the best part is that by focusing our attention on God, keeps disappointment permanently on vacation.

17 Don’t envy sinners, but always continue to fear the Lord.18 You will be rewarded for this; your hope will not be disappointed. Proverbs 23:17-18