Monday, June 15, 2009
Envy
At church the pastor (Jim Walters) is preaching on the "Seven Deadly Sins" this summer. Last Sunday the topic was "Envy." Pastor Jim pointed out something at the beginning of his sermon that I never thought of before: Envy is the only one of the "Seven Deadly Sins" that provides no pleasure. All the others give pleasure at least in the short term, but not envy. He said, "Envy's appetite never ceases--it's only satisfaction is endless self-torment. It is self-prescribed poison." That's so right on, isn't it? Envy does nothing for us but make us miserable with our circumstances. It strips us of our joy and brings us nothing but heartache. So why do we envy when there is nothing for us to gain? I haven't figured that out. Any ideas?
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2 comments:
That is an interesting point about envy.
Isn't it like original sin - Eve wanted to have something she did not have: God's wisdom and to be like God. I don't think desire is neccessarily bad. It is good to desire to be like God and gain His wisdom. It is putting the things desired over God and His plans that gets us into trouble and becomes envy and disobedience. So for me, I have to recognize what I desire and submit it to God's providence - He will supply all my needs.
Good question Amanda!
That's a good point...envy is really just a selfish desire. And as you said, desire doesn't have to be bad if it's committed to God and entrusted to Him.
I told Erik after I wrote this that the verse that comes to mind is Paul's "I do what I do not want to do..." Sometimes there's no good reason for our sin. It doesn't do us any good, especially in the long term. It makes us miserable. But we do it anyway. So, yes, it all goes back to Eve!
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