Jealousy

I heard a group of women talking the other day. They were discussing granite counter tops, custom cabinets, hardwood floors, etc. Just real fancy, delicate, "perfect" homes. One woman longed for a million dollar home. Another woman longed to have the home of her dreams. As I sat there listening to them I began to think about my house. It is a tiny house. Every nook and cranny of the house is used for something. There is no room to leave something laying around because with one thing out of place the entire house looks messy. The countertops are white, the ceilings have that popcorn texture.

.

But, my house was nothing more than gift from God. Shane and I had prayed and prayed about a home. We looked at what felt like a thousand houses but we kept coming back to this one. Everything fell right into place. Everything was simply filtered through God's hands and then delivered to us.

.

As the woman who wanted a million dollar home talked she began to say that she was "satisfied" with her home because she knew one day she would have a mansion. This statement struck me differently than I'm sure she meant it and I said "God doesn't know the value of a dollar. Maybe the home your in is worth a million dollars to God!" You know what? When did we start "settling" for what we have on this ole Earth? Our homes, our cars, our clothes, our checkbooks, our jobs...we seem to never be satisfied with what we have but always envious of what someone else has and to hear that person talk they aren't satisifed with what they have and the cycle is on and on.

.

"These sons of Jacob were very jealous of their brother Joseph, and they sold him to be a slave in Egypt. But God was with him." Acts 7:9 (NLT) These boys were so jealous of their brother that they sold him! Did you get that? Can you imagine being that jealous of someone? I'm sure you can put yourself in their shoes. I know I can! I would like to sit here all righteous and put myself on a pedastal but that would be nothing more than a lie. I have been in situations where I would sell someone or something just to get rid of it because it made me jealous. Jealousy is a powerful enemy! "Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood, but who can survive the destructiveness of jealousy?" Proverbs 27:4 (NLT)

.

Do you have anyone or anything in your life that you would sell? I challenge you to look into your heart today and prune any jealousy that you find. Jealousy is like kudzu, if you don't stay right on top of it before long it will cover your heart and then deteriorate the entire structure!