“But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic.  For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.”  James 3:14-16

For the first few years of our marriage, my wife and I lived on Lookout Mountain.  I loved the view that the mountain provided and the drive off of it was always beautiful.  When storms rolled in, they might be above you, below you or surrounding you.  The occasional snow storm added winter beauty, but ice storms made the mountain sparkle.  My absolute favorite was the fog.  I have never figured out the attraction, but I always loved it when the fog rolled in.  Since we “lived in the clouds” it was rather frequent.  However, one of the down sides of living there was the way it hampered contentment.  Lookout Mountain was known not only for Ruby Falls and Rock City, but also as the home of Chattanooga’s “old money”.  There were large houses and mansions as well as expensive cars everywhere.  It was a life style very different from what Marie and I were living and it was always confronting us.  When it came time to buy a home, we chose to move off of the mountain, not only because of the cost of real estate, but also because it made living a contented life less difficult.

James warns us that jealousy and selfish ambition is not only bad, but is earthly wisdom that frankly is demonic.  It was important enough for God to include it in the Ten Commandments when He told us not to covet.  Solomon warns that it is worse than anger and wrath.  (Proverbs 27:4)  Not only is envy or jealousy wrong in and of itself, but it is usually a first step on a very slippery slope.  Even in its most mild forms, it robs us of contentment.  When allowed to fully evolve, envy or jealousy leads to heinous acts.  Act 7:9 reminds us that the patriarchs sold Joseph into slavery because of jealousy while Matthew 27:8 and Mark 15:10 tell us that the jealousy of the chief priests that caused them to demand Christ’s crucifixion.  While most of us will rein in our thoughts before they go that far, I fear that we are frequently guilty of envy as we are subtly trained from infancy that the more assets and power we have, the better we are.  Further, we believe that wealth and power will also provide us with a life worth living.

Envy first starts by noticing people that have: better jobs, better marriages, more wealth, families, or many friends.  Another way that it creeps in is when we start thinking “I wish”… as in, I wish I were: healthier, wiser, more athletic, more artistic, godlier, etc.  While we may not be able to determine what we do and do not notice, we are in control of what we dwell on.  Considered and lingered over too long and these thoughts lead to jealousy, covetousness, resentment, bitterness, distrust, insecurity and anxiety to name a few.  The first problem with this line of thinking is that we never have all of the facts.  For example, the better job may be more demanding than we are comfortable with; that wealth may present safety risks that we don’t have to be concerned about, or that “perfect life” may have struggles that we are simply unaware of.  Another issue is that when we focus on what we perceive that we are missing rather than gratitude for what we have, our ability to live in peaceful contentment is hindered.  Finally, envy and selfish ambition negatively impact our relationships.  1 Corinthians 13 reminds us that jealousy and love cannot coexist and as James put it, they lead to “disorder and every evil thing”.  They not only obstruct healthy relationships with friends, family and coworkers, but they also erode the fellowship of believers and fragment the body of Christ.

But the problem with envy goes deeper than that.  Not only does it impact our mental wellbeing and relationships, it has an even greater impact on our souls even though we may not realize or choose not to acknowledge those effects.  That’s where the real danger lies for most of us.  It rejects God’s plan for our lives and rejects tasks for which we have been designed.  It denies that if we have nothing else, God is enough.  It denies that God has kept His promise to provide for us.  Ultimately, whether consciously or subconsciously, we are putting God on trial and condemning Him for His lack of provision or love which is where arrogance enters the picture as we are claiming to be a greater judge of what is good and necessary than God is.  James warns us that this leads to hindered and unanswered prayers.

While one could go on about the forms envy takes or its negative impact on our lives, souls, and relationships, our time is better spent considering the remedies.  The following verses provide a good start.

If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:8)  No matter how mild or subtle, any envy is dangerous.  Honest self-examination allows us to be aware of and work on our negative behaviors and attitudes.

Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.  (Proverbs 4:23)  When we guard our souls, we provide solid base for sound judgement and evaluation.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.  (Romans 12:2)  Having to overcome cultural wisdom is not a new problem.  We will constantly be challenged to compromise, yet we must compare all “wisdom” to God’s wisdom to determine what is sound and what is not.

We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.  (2 Corinthians 10:5)  As disruptive thoughts enter our minds, we need to develop the habit of checking our thoughts; we stop the bad ones and shift to God honoring ones.

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.  (Philippians 4:8)  Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.  For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  (Colossians 3:2-3)  God never asks us to stop a thought process or behavior without giving us His better alternative.  The same is true here.  The best tool to overcome negative and sinful thoughts is to replace them with the God’s truth.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.  Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil.  (Proverbs 3:5-7)  He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but he who walks wisely will be delivered.  (Proverbs 28:26)  As in all matters, we must recognize our complete dependence on God.  While it does not relieve us of our responsibility to be disciplined, it does keep us focused on our only true source of wisdom and strength.  To think that we can manage this on our own is foolishness.

There is nothing wrong with working to improve our circumstances to the extent that God gives us the means and opportunity, but we need to be careful to not allow our goals to become idols or supersede God’s will for us.  In my case, moving off of the mountain helped suppress the urge to envy those with more than I had.  While my illness has led to much soul searching and adjustment as I’ve had to give up goals and ways of life, the experiences that have been the greatest object lessons in evaluating what is and is not God honoring have been caring for and watching my mother, father-in-law and my father as they passed from this life into the next.  Sitting for periods of time with those who are dying helps one to reflect and be more honest about their own life and motivations as well as how God will view their life and character as they stand before Him when they move from this life to the next.

May our God grant us the ability to avoid envy and its effects and live lives to peaceful contentment grateful for all that He has provided…not the least of which is a relationship with Him.

Will