Put Envy Behind You

• How might your life be different if you didn’t know God? How would you behave?

• Describe a time when you were envious of someone. Why did you envy them?

At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.
Titus 3:3

In this verse, the apostle Paul refers to what life is like before people come to know God. He essentially means, “Don’t forget that at one time, we didn’t know anything about God either.”

Before people make the decision to live for Jesus, they are slaves to sin and envy. Once we decide to live for Jesus, however, we are changed by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit helps us to live in obedience to God’s Word, and changes the way we look at our lives. We don’t need to envy others anymore.

The truth is that envy has no place in a Christian’s life. What do we have to be envious of? God has given us more than we could ever deserve. As Christians, we know that God has a plan for our lives and that he will be there with us through it all. We should be focused on living out God’s plan for our lives, not envying what is happening in someone else’s life.

PRAYER
Dear God, please forgive us when we envy others. Thank you for providing everything we need. Set our eyes on you rather than what others have. Amen.