There is a common phenomenon that afflicts just about every Christian, whether you care to admit it or not. I know full well that I have personally fallen into this trap many times. As a matter of fact, I tend to feel this whenever I notice that my YouTube videos and blogs are not generating the same amount of traffic as other Social Media influencers. What is this phenomenon I am referring to? I am talking about the sin of envy, or as the Bible puts it, coveting. This specific sin is nothing new. As a matter of fact, the Psalmist says in Psalm 73:3 the following,
"For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked"
As you can see, envy has been around for a very long time and it does not matter who you are because it afflicts all of us equally. It is for this very reason that you should never feel shame about your envy. It does not make you any less of a Christian nor does it mean that you are not saved. I want to make that perfectly clear for anyone who is struggling with this sin or anyone who has struggled with this sin. It is perfectly normal and natural for us to experience this from time to time. Actually, if you do not or have never dealt with this in your life, then you are either not living or you are just in denial. However, even though this is a natural sin for us to deal with, the Bible does offer us a remedy for how to deal with this specific sin. In this blog, I shall discuss what exactly is this remedy. My hope is that after you read this you will walk away feeling content in your walk with Christ and be able to confidently deal with your envy of others healthily. If that happens, then the purpose of this blog has been served.
I will be separating this blog into three subsections: Being Content, Knowing The End Of The Wicked, and Looking Forward To The Future. I know that these are not the only points I can make to help you overcome your envy, but these are the main points I want to cover in this blog. If you can think of any more points, please feel free to comment below. I believe that if you truly take these three points to heart, and honestly believe them, you will be better equipped at dealing with your envy. I will not promise that your envy will go away and you will never again deal with it, however. You most likely will still get envious from time to time. On this side of Heaven, we will always struggle with sin. But, there will come a time when there will be no more sin. On that day, we will never get envious of others. But, I digress. It is time for me to elaborate on my three points.
Being Content
I know that this sounds easier said than done, but the Lord does want us to be content in our circumstances. As Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 6:8,
"But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content"
God is our provider and He knows all of our needs. If we truly believe this, then we should never desire more than the Lord provides for us. I know this is difficult because who does not want the newest iPhone or PlayStation? But, these things are not things we need. As long as the Lord provides us with the things we need, then we have every reason to be content. As Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:33,
"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you"
As long we our primary focus is on living for the Lord and seeking His righteousness, He will take care of us. We do not have to worry about when we will have our next meal or where we will live because He has already taken care of that. This means we can rest easy when we trust in Him.
Knowing The End of The Wicked
This next point is probably the most difficult one to swallow because none of us want to think about where our unbelieving loved ones are going. However, the Psalmist in Psalm 73:16-17 tells us,
"But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God, then I discerned their end"
As hard of a truth it may be, the wicked are going to perish in eternal hell. God is not overlooking their wickedness. There will come a day when the Lord will hold these people accountable and they will have to pay for their active rebellion against Him. When we truly understand this, it should cause us to not envy them because we already know what their destiny is. Also, this revelation should cause us to feel sorrow for them and make us want to tell them the Gospel even more because we know that is their only hope of salvation.
Looking Forward To The Future
This is probably the most important thing for us to keep in mind because those who trust in the Lord will have eternal life. Eternal life is knowing the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit intimately. But, our destiny goes even deeper than that. As Revelation 21:1-4 tells us,
"When I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away'"
As you can see from this text, what awaits those of us who believe is the New Heaven and New Earth where we will dwell with the Holy Trinity for all eternity. During this time, there will be no more sin, sorrow, suffering, or pain anymore. What a glorious day that will be! On that day, we will reign with Christ forever. If we truly believe this, then we should never envy the wicked because they do not have anything that compares to what awaits those who trust in God. We have an eternal reward, while they have a temporary reward.
I thank you for taking the time to read this blog and I hope that this gives you some encouragement to no longer look at other people's success with envy. Instead, hopefully, you are encouraged to keep your eyes on the Lord. May the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all!
-David Lee Chu Sarchet
Christian Mental Health Advocate
Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website
"For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked"
As you can see, envy has been around for a very long time and it does not matter who you are because it afflicts all of us equally. It is for this very reason that you should never feel shame about your envy. It does not make you any less of a Christian nor does it mean that you are not saved. I want to make that perfectly clear for anyone who is struggling with this sin or anyone who has struggled with this sin. It is perfectly normal and natural for us to experience this from time to time. Actually, if you do not or have never dealt with this in your life, then you are either not living or you are just in denial. However, even though this is a natural sin for us to deal with, the Bible does offer us a remedy for how to deal with this specific sin. In this blog, I shall discuss what exactly is this remedy. My hope is that after you read this you will walk away feeling content in your walk with Christ and be able to confidently deal with your envy of others healthily. If that happens, then the purpose of this blog has been served.
I will be separating this blog into three subsections: Being Content, Knowing The End Of The Wicked, and Looking Forward To The Future. I know that these are not the only points I can make to help you overcome your envy, but these are the main points I want to cover in this blog. If you can think of any more points, please feel free to comment below. I believe that if you truly take these three points to heart, and honestly believe them, you will be better equipped at dealing with your envy. I will not promise that your envy will go away and you will never again deal with it, however. You most likely will still get envious from time to time. On this side of Heaven, we will always struggle with sin. But, there will come a time when there will be no more sin. On that day, we will never get envious of others. But, I digress. It is time for me to elaborate on my three points.
Being Content
I know that this sounds easier said than done, but the Lord does want us to be content in our circumstances. As Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 6:8,
"But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content"
God is our provider and He knows all of our needs. If we truly believe this, then we should never desire more than the Lord provides for us. I know this is difficult because who does not want the newest iPhone or PlayStation? But, these things are not things we need. As long as the Lord provides us with the things we need, then we have every reason to be content. As Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:33,
"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you"
As long we our primary focus is on living for the Lord and seeking His righteousness, He will take care of us. We do not have to worry about when we will have our next meal or where we will live because He has already taken care of that. This means we can rest easy when we trust in Him.
Knowing The End of The Wicked
This next point is probably the most difficult one to swallow because none of us want to think about where our unbelieving loved ones are going. However, the Psalmist in Psalm 73:16-17 tells us,
"But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God, then I discerned their end"
As hard of a truth it may be, the wicked are going to perish in eternal hell. God is not overlooking their wickedness. There will come a day when the Lord will hold these people accountable and they will have to pay for their active rebellion against Him. When we truly understand this, it should cause us to not envy them because we already know what their destiny is. Also, this revelation should cause us to feel sorrow for them and make us want to tell them the Gospel even more because we know that is their only hope of salvation.
Looking Forward To The Future
This is probably the most important thing for us to keep in mind because those who trust in the Lord will have eternal life. Eternal life is knowing the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit intimately. But, our destiny goes even deeper than that. As Revelation 21:1-4 tells us,
"When I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away'"
As you can see from this text, what awaits those of us who believe is the New Heaven and New Earth where we will dwell with the Holy Trinity for all eternity. During this time, there will be no more sin, sorrow, suffering, or pain anymore. What a glorious day that will be! On that day, we will reign with Christ forever. If we truly believe this, then we should never envy the wicked because they do not have anything that compares to what awaits those who trust in God. We have an eternal reward, while they have a temporary reward.
I thank you for taking the time to read this blog and I hope that this gives you some encouragement to no longer look at other people's success with envy. Instead, hopefully, you are encouraged to keep your eyes on the Lord. May the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all!
-David Lee Chu Sarchet
Christian Mental Health Advocate
Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website
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