Love - Part 3: Not Jealous

"Love . . . is not jealous . . ."

Jealous is: "Suspicious that we do not enjoy the affection or respect of others, or that another is more loved and respected than ourselves.”* “Resentful and envious, as of someone’s attainments or of a person because of his attainments, advantages, etc.” **

Nothing can quite destroy like jealousy. Proverbs 27:4 states that “Wrath is fierce and anger is a flood, but who can stand before jealousy?” Who can stand before it? It is a bitter poison that infiltrates the soul and grows into bitterness and bears fruit to even more wickedness. In the life of Joseph, this is clearly shown. Joseph had special dreams. He was given special affection from his father. His brothers, seeing and hearing, began to have twinges of jealousy. “The patriarchs became jealous of Joseph . . .” (Acts 7:9). As these different instances occurred, that jealousy continued to grow and fester. Eventually this jealousy would cause them to plan to murder their own younger brother. And indeed, they would have become murderers if it had not been for the intervention of their brother, Rueben (Genesis 37:18-24). Instead they “sold him into Egypt” (Acts 7:9).

Jealousy begins small, but reaps grievous consequences. We must learn to not let even the tiniest seed of jealousy be planted in our hearts. And if it does happen to be planted, we must recognize this and then quickly uproot it. So often, though, it is easier to nurture and care for this jealousy, but by doing this, we are walking according to the flesh and not the Spirit. For “if we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another” (Galatians 5:25-26). Yes, let us not.

Let us instead “through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13b), may “each of us . . . please his neighbor for his good, to his edification” (Romans 15:2), and follow the second greatest commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31). If we are cultivating these in our hearts, jealousy will not have the opportunity to grow and bear its fruit. The ‘soil’ of our hearts will not be suitable for it. Jealousy is conquered when we walk by the Spirit, thus bearing the good fruit of love.

“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;” Philippians 2:3

*Noah Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language
*The 1975 Random House College Dictionary


-Posted by Sarah