Sometimes It's Hopeless

Proverbs 27:4 Wrath is cruel and anger a torrent, But who is able to stand before envy?

Some time ago, I did a study of the psychology of envy. People who had gotten promotions would find that an envious co-worker was now their bitter enemy. Try as they would, the successful workers could not win the friendship of the envious workers. The author of the study explained that the envious worker believed that he had been wronged, and as long as the successful worker held his job, there was no cure.

After an unsuccessful revolt among his pastoral staff, the pastor of a mega-church explained in a sermon that he had tried to reason with the disgruntled employees who had not been promoted. But when it didn't work, he had to fire them.

Envy and Bad Health

Proverbs 14:30 A sound heart is life to the body, But envy is rottenness to the bones.

Long before scientists discovered the fact, God was telling us that stress harms our health. A person who dwells in envy is hurting himself physically, as well as spiritually and emotionally.

If you yourself are envious of someone else, God's cure is to start serving Him diligently.