Thought for the Day

Verses 3-4 - These verses tell us that jealousy and envy are greater burdens than the heavy weights of the cruelty of wrath and anger. Wrath and anger are many times vented quickly, whereas envy and jealousy are like a pot that heats slowly to the boiling point. This causes the one who is jealous to seethe within, and the envy they feel will gnaw at them over a long period of time. Jealousy is as cruel as death and a flame of torment to those who embrace it. "Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame" (Song of Solomon 8:6).

We saw in Day 42 that when jealousy erupts in anger it is known as a "jealous rage," and in Day 110 that jealousy and envy can cause physical and mental illnesses. "A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones" (Proverbs 14:30). Envy is included in this list of evils: "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful..." (Romans 1:28-31). These sins will bring judgment upon those who practice them, but through Jesus' sacrifice on our behalf, we can receive forgiveness. We can be saved from hell and receive eternal life, not by any works of righteousness we do, but by God's mercy to us through Jesus Christ. Through the Holy Spirit we can be freed from wrath, anger, envy, and jealousy and filled with God's love.

"For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:3-7).