series: Psalm for suffering #
verse: Psalm 73 #
Main Idea: #
Are you happy for others that do well for themselves or are you envious?
The heart of jealousy happens very often.
- Don’t get caught up in focusing on what you lack. Instead look towards what you do have. This is the foundation of gratitude.
Envy is difficult to self actualize. We do it so often and we can become complacent to the feeling. As we get more discontent with ourselves, we become greedy, self pitying, and hyper critical of ourselves.
The effect of envy is disastorous for our esteem. One potential consequence is the struggle to love ourselves, our own bodies, even though we are made in God’s perfect image.
How can we deal with envy? #
Stop ignoring your negative emotions. Go to God and lay it all down, he can lift you back up. Recognize your brokenness instead if hiding from it.
- Prosperity of the wicked: We can become resentful and angry when we see non followers of Christ prosper in life.
- “Why God do you bless these wicked people but not me?”.
- “What’s the point of folowing God and being so faithful if I don’t get to experience any blessings”.
- Until I went into the sanctuary of God. He went to God and worshipped the Lord. The author renewed his perspective on his state of life. He begins to understand the wisdom of God. The solution to envy is fear… the fear of reverential awe of God. Respect God for his unconditional love and recognize his character. This is what it takes to genuinely worship God. This is the only way to truly experience God.
- On a side note, are you okay with being a passive listener? Or could you become an active participant and have fellowship within your church. You can create and provide a Christian experience through the way you worship the Lord.
- Pursue peace with a content heart. A man with no envy at all. The perfect man Jesus died on the cross for our sake. The death of Jeus shows us that God loves us unconditionally. The resurrection shows us that we can have hope in a new Earth. We don’t need to have discontent in our life because we are subject to comfort and peace in HeVen.
- God is always with us, and there is nothing else we need.
How often are you joyous in anticipation for what is to come? #
Let your excitement during the Christmas season be a reminder to how our faithfulness in God’s timing should be a opportunity of joy instead of burden.
Father thank you for allowing us to reassess our hearts through your word. People are broken and hurt because of the jealousy of the prosperity of others who are not followers of you Lord. We get confused and we wonder why you don’t grant this to us. But Lord you’ve shown again that our longings are not here YET. we will get to enjoy much more and for eternity when we enter heaven. Lord heal our hearts as we turn to you with our hearts of jealousy and envy. May we lay down our sins in front of you God. Would you restrengthen our faith and hope in you. Change our restlessness and joylessness to the beauty of joyfulness no matter the circumstance we find ourselves in. Let us not be shaken by our environment but hold on to you for you are all that we need and will keep us grounded.