Monday: A Mental Cancer, Jealousy
WEEK 35
MONDAY
A MENTAL CANCER, JEALOUSY
James 3:13-16
There was opportunity for jealousy in the Acts, but it didn’t appear. For instance, when Paul and Barnabas started out, it was Barnabas and Paul: “Appoint Barnabas and Saul” (Acts 13:2). But it soon became “Paul and Barnabas” (v. 43) or “Paul and his companions” (v. 13). But there was no whisper of jealousy that the older man was jealous of the younger, who was taking precedence. They were both slaves of all and as such were both “first” inherently, without trying to be first. Greatness without jealousy became the settled condition.
There was jealousy in the Acts, but it was outside the Christian group: “The high priest, together with his allies, the Sadducees, was overcome with jealousy. They seized the apostles and made a public show of putting them in prison (5:17-18). And: “When the Jews saw the crowds, they were overcome with jealousy. They argued against what Paul was saying by slandering him” (13:45). They were fighting in the name of religion, defending principles and religion, but underneath, jealousy was the motive.
Jealousy comes out in all sorts of ways today. A little girl would wake up at night screaming with pain in her legs. This was after her little baby brother came. She wanted love and attention. Her mother, seeing what the trouble was, gave the little girl extra attention and love; and the pains ceased.
This is found in all ages. A woman said in a meeting, “I’m on the road to recovery from a cancer—a mental cancer—jealousy.”
A little girl looked at the picture of a place where her younger sister had gone for a vacation and remarked, “Looks like a horrible place.” She was jealous that she didn’t go. But when she herself went later, she thought it was a wonderful place. Jealousy spoils everything it touches; it makes a beautiful place into a horrible place, makes lovely people into horrible people, makes friendships impossible and kills love. Jealousy is a cancer.
O Lord, let me tolerate no jealousy. Help me to think of everyone with love, a positive, outgoing love. And help me to get under everyone and boost them. Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: Jealousy is the vice of the small-souled; I shall be big with love.