Monday, July 10, 2006

"Love does not envy" (1 Corinthians 13:4).

IDEA: Envy poisons relationships.

Proverbs 14:30 tells us, “A sound heart is life to the body, but envy is rottenness to the bones.”

I. What is the image in the proverb?

A tranquil heart is contrasted to envy (passion).

The proverb goes on to speak of “life to the body” and “rottenness to the bones.” What do you think the contrast is?

Do you think that this is an exaggeration? Can envy destroy a person mentally and physically?

II. Envying someone else doesn’t bring us what the envied person has. It merely makes us miserable.

We may handle envy with a headache or an upset stomach.

Envy causes me to cut and undercut other people, and that, in turn, leads to unpleasant relationships, which have their physical consequences.

The New Testament often links envy and malice. Before long, envy pushes us to say a malicious word or do a malicious deed. That, in turn, causes hostile relationships which also affect me physically.

In a church, envy can lead to a church split. If you’ve been through a church split, you know that its consequences are physical as well as spiritual.