The Cost of Envy预览

Time to Confess

The second half of Proverbs 14:30 tells us that “envy makes the bones rot.” Let’s start the process of being done with that, and who wouldn’t want to be? Even secular academics have quipped, “Of the seven deadly sins, only envy is no fun at all." With God’s help, let’s resolve to get this behind us. Breaking envy’s grip on us, along with all its associated damage, will take several steps, a few new godly habits, and a bit more assessment on a larger scale, but at this point, let’s take responsibility for what we see is taking place in ourselves. The first step in eradicating any sinful vice in our lives is admitting we have it—no more excuses.

The problem of envy is like a pebble in our shoe. People may not see it. And we may not see it directly. But we can feel it. It is causing pain. It is affecting our gait. If it has been there long enough, it has caused problems for our ankles, knees, hips, and back. People may not recognize our problem, but they know we are not walking quite right. Before we stoop down to begin dealing with the problem, we’ve got to admit it’s there. Unfortunately, unlike a pebble that we have the dexterity and power to get to and extract, sinful problems of the heart require God’s abilities. This is what makes Christian confession so much more than a non-Christian acknowledgment of a problem. As Christians we know that the problem is more than just trouble for us - it is an offense to God. We know we can’t just say, “Let’s forget that ever happened" - we need forgiveness and pardon. And, we understand that the ability to do better next time is not something we can muscle up and do (though it will certainly require all of our spiritual muscles!). We need God. We need His grace and His provision. We need His Spirit and His enablement.

So let us confess our sins, specifically, not just the symptoms, but the root causes. Let’s not just agree with God that it was wrong to say what we said or be as unloving as we were, but let us tell Him we know that we have nursed the secret sin of envy. Confess immediately. Whether you are a plumber, a preacher, a mathematician, or a mom, tell God you see the problem, and you know you have not been an innocent bystander. Reach out for His merciful forgiveness. Let’s be grateful that along with King David, we can confidently say:

I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. (Ps. 32:5)

We hope you enjoyed this devotional. It was based on the book Envy: A Big Problem You Didn't Know You Hadby Mike Fabarez. We encourage you to continue learning how to uproot envy in your life by purchasing the full book.