Pr 27:4 Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?
About thirty years ago, a good Baptist church was running about 175 in children's church, mostly due to their bus ministry. The pastor asked me (I didn't ask him) to be in charge. Several of us worked hard, and attendance grew to around 300.
Meanwhile, the pastor's wife held a lot of authority in the church, mistreating secretaries and other staff, and often forcing her husband to carry out policies he disagreed with. I was called into the pastor's office one day, where she told me that she was a mature Christian and I was an immature Christian, and therefor God had called her to take over the children's church.
When I pointed out that she had nothing to do with the blessing God was giving us, she replied that God hadn't called her to work on bus routes; He had called her to rule over people who did. I refused, her husband over-ruled me, and three years later, she had taken the children's church from 300 to 10.
Earlier, I had pointed out this same problem with jealousy: if you're in a family-run church, your church probably has incompetent leadership. And if you start being blessed and used by God, that family is going to start moving in to take over your ministry.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
The Strength of Envy Part 1
Pr 27:4 Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?
Who is able to stand before envy? - The rabbins have a curious story on this subject, and it has been formed by the moderns into a fable. There were two persons, one covetous and the other envious, to whom a certain person promised to grant whatever they should ask; but double to him who should ask last. The covetous man would not ask first, because he wished to get the double portion, and the envious man would not make the first request because he could not bear the thoughts of thus benefiting his neighbor. However, at last he requested that one of his eyes should be taken out, in order that his neighbor might lose both.
From Adam Clarke's Commentary
Thursday, July 9, 2009
2Sa 6:16 And as the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal Saul's daughter looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart.
Michal had been the princess when her father was king. Her brother had been next-in-line for the throne, and she had married a top military leader. But now her father and her brother were dead, and she was a member of David's small but growing harem. Michal's career had definitely taken a bad turn, and now she despised her husband David. Granted, David might have been partly to blame for the situation, but Michal was envious of him. David was receiving honor and acclaim that Michal felt were rightfully hers. After all, her father Saul and her brother Jonathan had been the ones who promoted David.
2Sa 6:21 And David said unto Michal, It was before the LORD, which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel: therefore will I play before the LORD.
David shows us how to handle envy within the family of God. He pointed out to Michal that it was God Who had chosen David over Saul, Jonathan, and Michal's other relatives. Going to the palace hadn't been David's idea, and his promotions came from others, not from his own plots.
If you are being blessed in church work, and someone suddenly demands to be put in charge, your answer ought to be that God had given you the position and the blessing, choosing you over the person who seeks the position.
Michal had been the princess when her father was king. Her brother had been next-in-line for the throne, and she had married a top military leader. But now her father and her brother were dead, and she was a member of David's small but growing harem. Michal's career had definitely taken a bad turn, and now she despised her husband David. Granted, David might have been partly to blame for the situation, but Michal was envious of him. David was receiving honor and acclaim that Michal felt were rightfully hers. After all, her father Saul and her brother Jonathan had been the ones who promoted David.
2Sa 6:21 And David said unto Michal, It was before the LORD, which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel: therefore will I play before the LORD.
David shows us how to handle envy within the family of God. He pointed out to Michal that it was God Who had chosen David over Saul, Jonathan, and Michal's other relatives. Going to the palace hadn't been David's idea, and his promotions came from others, not from his own plots.
If you are being blessed in church work, and someone suddenly demands to be put in charge, your answer ought to be that God had given you the position and the blessing, choosing you over the person who seeks the position.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Envy in the Workplace
While researching this series, I read an article by a psychologist on dealing with envy at work. A person will get a promotion, and someone is bitter, feeling that they should have gotten the promotion.
The promoted employee tries being nice, but it doesn't work. Why not? Because the envious person feels that he is a victim of the successful person. The envious person doesn't have to take it personally, but he feels that the promotion is rightfully his (or hers) and the friendliness of the "winner" doesn't change that.
So what should the victim of envy do? After being nice and not succeeding, the person with the promotion needs to go on. But if there is a conflict, the person might need to say "I got the promotion because I'm better than you."
But you can't do that in Christian service; we're supposed to be humble, remember? So how do you deal with envy in the church?
The promoted employee tries being nice, but it doesn't work. Why not? Because the envious person feels that he is a victim of the successful person. The envious person doesn't have to take it personally, but he feels that the promotion is rightfully his (or hers) and the friendliness of the "winner" doesn't change that.
So what should the victim of envy do? After being nice and not succeeding, the person with the promotion needs to go on. But if there is a conflict, the person might need to say "I got the promotion because I'm better than you."
But you can't do that in Christian service; we're supposed to be humble, remember? So how do you deal with envy in the church?
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
How Long Will Envy Last?
Ec 9:6 Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished; Nevermore will they have a share in anything done under the sun.
In the book of Ecclesiastes, an older and wiser Solomon looks back wearily on his life of failure. Given great wisdom and a great kingdom by God, he squandered away his blessings with sin. But he never lost his wisdom, and he passes it on to us.
Throughout the book, Solomon states repeatedly that almost everything done on earth will eventually perish. He concludes that we need to live for God, Who will reward us for obedience. In this passage, Solomon points out that the envy of people who die perish with them. Any bitterness, jealousy, envy, hatred, etc., that we have will die when we do, and the aged Solomon points out that nobody cares about them anymore.
Live for Christ while you can, and leave evil emotions to others.
In the book of Ecclesiastes, an older and wiser Solomon looks back wearily on his life of failure. Given great wisdom and a great kingdom by God, he squandered away his blessings with sin. But he never lost his wisdom, and he passes it on to us.
Throughout the book, Solomon states repeatedly that almost everything done on earth will eventually perish. He concludes that we need to live for God, Who will reward us for obedience. In this passage, Solomon points out that the envy of people who die perish with them. Any bitterness, jealousy, envy, hatred, etc., that we have will die when we do, and the aged Solomon points out that nobody cares about them anymore.
Live for Christ while you can, and leave evil emotions to others.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Harmful to Your Health
Pr 14:30 ¶ A sound heart is life to the body, But envy is rottenness to the bones.
Doctors pretty well agree that taking care of yourself before you get sick is better than having to go to a doctor because you made yourself sick. And science has proved that stress actually lowers your body's ability to fight off disease.
An envious person will always suffer stress, because he'll always see someone who has something he wants. In the church, it could be a position of leadership that the envious person feels he should have. My own observations confirm that handing positions to these people in order to placate them is like handing territory to Adolf Hitler. After a while, he always wants more. Eventually, the person's ever-growing envy pushes him into positions he cannot handle, or it reaches the point that people are willing to fight him in order to keep him from getting more.
Job's friend, Eliphaz the Temanite, had observed that "... wrath kills a foolish man, And envy slays a simple one." Job 5:2 In addition to health problems, envy can push a person into foolish actions that get him into trouble.
Doctors pretty well agree that taking care of yourself before you get sick is better than having to go to a doctor because you made yourself sick. And science has proved that stress actually lowers your body's ability to fight off disease.
An envious person will always suffer stress, because he'll always see someone who has something he wants. In the church, it could be a position of leadership that the envious person feels he should have. My own observations confirm that handing positions to these people in order to placate them is like handing territory to Adolf Hitler. After a while, he always wants more. Eventually, the person's ever-growing envy pushes him into positions he cannot handle, or it reaches the point that people are willing to fight him in order to keep him from getting more.
Job's friend, Eliphaz the Temanite, had observed that "... wrath kills a foolish man, And envy slays a simple one." Job 5:2 In addition to health problems, envy can push a person into foolish actions that get him into trouble.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
What is "Envy"?
When the King James Version was translated in 1611, the translators used the word "jealousy" to describe a person who has something, but is fearful that someone else will take it away. Surprisingly, words, like "jealous" and "jealousy" are usually used to describe God. He has us, but He is afraid that He will lose us to something else.
However, God's Word gives far more attention to "envy" than it does to jealousy. The King James translators used "envy" to refer to a person who does not have something, but feels that he should have it. The envious person often regards himself as the victim of the person who has something. And God's Word describes envy as a more dangerous trait than jealousy.
Psychologists use these same two definitions to describe jealousy and envy. Envy carries two victims at a time: the person who is envious, and the person who is being envied. We'll be going into a study of how to deal with envy from both directions.
However, God's Word gives far more attention to "envy" than it does to jealousy. The King James translators used "envy" to refer to a person who does not have something, but feels that he should have it. The envious person often regards himself as the victim of the person who has something. And God's Word describes envy as a more dangerous trait than jealousy.
Psychologists use these same two definitions to describe jealousy and envy. Envy carries two victims at a time: the person who is envious, and the person who is being envied. We'll be going into a study of how to deal with envy from both directions.
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