Listen to this devotion
How, Lord … can I stop envying others?
In the Word
A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones (Proverbs 14:30).
Of the Word
Envy is a gnawing desire to get what we don’t have. Comparing our lives to others will continually make us struggle to keep up. Envy leads us to sin: “You shall not covet … anything that belongs to your neighbor” (Exodus 20:17). Envy is also a waste of energy and a source of unhappiness!
God’s love for each of us is just as great as His love for our neighbor or sister or coworker or best friend. Each time we focus on what someone else has, we take our eyes off Him and the good things He has given to us. God desires that our joy comes from walking with Him and not in obtaining material things. What we are and what we have are God’s unique gifts to us.
Don’t be obsessed with getting more material things. Be relaxed with what you have. … God assures us, “I’ll never let you down, never walk off and leave you,”… (Hebrews 13:5 MSG).
Walking with my Lord
Forgiving Father, help me be satisfied with what You have given me. Through Your Holy Spirit may I daily be reminded that in the death and resurrection of Your Son Jesus I have been given eternal life. What more could I need? In the saving name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
Mustard Seed: How, Lord? Marcia Gomulka and Myrna Lou Meyer, authors. 4/32 ©2011 Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, 801 Seminary Place Ste. L010, St. Louis, MO 63105. www.lwml.org
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations were taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked (MSG) are taken from The Message. Copyright ©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
