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Don't let envy steal away the joy in your life

By Reverend W. Flemon McIntosh Jr. | The News Herald

Published: July 2, 2009

We should always be kind one to another, for this is commanded by God.
And stay away from envy. Envy may be as old as mankind, but it remains very dangerous and destructive. People sink millions of dollars into unsound financial schemes each year, motivated by envy to keep up with the neighbors.
Envy and jealousy are acts of unkindness. We will discover that they lead to the same conclusion, hatred. Where there is hatred, all love is lost.
Recall, if you will, the story of Esau and Jacob, the twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah and grandchildren of Abraham and Sarah. This family had a rich spiritual heritage. They had everything going for them. Then envy afflicted this family. Read the full story in Genesis 25. This could happen in your family. By letting kindness dwell within your family, many unkind things will disappear.
Envy not only has some undesirable running companions, but it also has a terrible son. Envy is usually the mother of gossip and we all know the dangers that lie within gossip.
When people are unkind, they allow so many hurtful things in our relations with other people. And, believe it or not, some of us are unkind to God. Wow! We have people within the church who drive other people away from the church with their mouths and actions. Some even come right out and tell others not to attend church, but, in the meantime, they still come.
Envy knows nothing except to depreciate the excellence of others. Many good people with bright ideas, good and defined goals in life, and who are living a good and quality life, have been shot down or pushed under by some little squirt infected with unkindness and envy.
Envy is the team; the players include wrath, anger, evil speaking, corrupt communication, gossip, lying and bitterness. Sin is the team's president; unkindness is its manager.
Paul advised us to "let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice. And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." — Ephesians 4:31-32.
The decent people of our society are being pushed aside by unkind people and also others who want to enjoy their sins and sinful ways. How many unkind people are in church with you on Sunday?
Families are torn asunder, churches are slowed down in their work, clubs are reduced to a shambles and society in general is fractured, all because of envy and unkindness. The people that practice such things think that they are looking good by comparison. We urge you to not let these people keep you from doing good, and do not let them drive you away from your church.
Life has much to offer us that is good, but when we spend most of our time dealing with envy and unkindness, the struggles can make life miserable.
It is therefore necessary for a coalition of persons, who are willing to show us what love is all about, to get into action. Love is the glue that cements friendship; jealousy, envy, unkindness keep it from sticking. The best way to defeat envy and unkindness is to practice love.
When you encounter people who are negative and unkind, you are face to face with sick people (and when they are always finding faults with others, they are very sick indeed). You must be strong in your faith to face such people. Put up the strongest defense you can muster up. Do not let them turn you around or stop you from doing what is right in the sight of God.
Keep the faith, for faith never fails. As one writer puts it, "Faith, like an unlimited reserve fund, is always waiting to give protection, inspiration, forgiveness, courageous and spiritual joy. I am firmly convinced that anything I am today and everything I have today, I owe to my faith." And you must remember, prayer is the most powerful force in the world.
We know there are uncertainties in life and even life itself is uncertain. Keep your faith in order and up to date, so that when you need inner strength, you will have it. Keep moving up every day of your life in order that you will rise closer to that joy from above. The ultimate in living is when we have joy in our hearts and laughter in our lives.

W. Flemon McIntosh, Jr., is the senior columnist for the News Herald.