Prayer Meeting: Envy/Compassion
Thursday, March 06, 2008
We are blessed to have Hsiao Yun to lead us in this session of prayer meeting together with Ken’s worship session.
So have you ever thought about the difference between the word envy and jealously? Or have you always thought they share the same meaning? Is jealousy a sin or is it always wrong? We’ll discover what God’s word says to reveal the answers to all the questions.
Envy: Is thoughts and jealousy is an action, a longing to possess something that is awarded to or achieved.
Jealousy: A resentment or Arousement about something that someone else has
Exodus 20:17 --> Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor's.
Envy comes from want of [Material possession, looks, popularity, talents]
We also looked into passages of the bible and understand why people got jealous of one another and the impact of it such as death in the case of Cain and Able. Also getting angry with the other party is like committing the sin of murder like Jacob and Esau. Other characters were Satan and God, Sarah and Hagaii, King Saul and David, Joseph and his brothers, Jesus and the Pharisees.
Next she shared about “envy in church or in Christianity”
We should be asking ourselves why is God unpleased with my offering or me rather than asking why He is pleasing someone else instead of me.
Do we get jealous over others who have more gifts or more 'blessings' from God?
Are we also like the workers who question why we serve so much and yet we're all 'paid' the same?
God has the right to give what He wants to who He wants and the right to 'judge' is not ours.
We shouldn't compare and complain about how God blesses or uses others.
We have to check ourselves constantly to make sure we don't have pride in our lives.
2 Applications to deal with jealousy/envy
Contentment
We have to trust in the Lord to not be concerned with great matters of things that don't concern us.
We are then completely contented with God as our Shepherd, I SHALL NOT WANT
Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
To be content with whatever role we have to play as all of us ultimately work together.
Sometimes it's not that you wish you can take it from someone but to ALSO have it --> We should then pray for God to provide it ONLY if it's a basic need so that we won't have that envy anymore and if it's not a basic NEED, then we should pray that we be content.
Compassion
Jonathan loved David and protected him from his father, Saul.
And for David, he didn't counter attacked. He befriended Saul and returned whenever he was asked to serve Saul again.
This is what all of us brought home from today’s devotion- Jealousy is Good [When it's something we deserve] and Bad [When it's something we don't deserve]!
-ju-