What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
James 4:1-3
Today’s Scripture Readings: James 4, Philippians 2:1-4
As a child have you ever felt that life was unfair when someone had more than you did? Maybe somebody had a bigger cookie, a bigger candy bar, one more sticker, or one extra M&M. We will feel as if there was a great sense of injustice. This is an indicator of our broken human nature – to feel jealous and envy that somebody has more than I do, even when I’ve done everything to earn as much as they did.
Strangely enough, even secular American Comedian Louis C.K. stated this on his season premier of television series Louis: “The only time you look in your neighbor’s bowl is to make sure that they have enough. You don’t look in your neighbor’s bowl to see if you have as much as them.” Although Louis C.K. is atheist in his worldview of Christianity, he has a major point in speaking about our brokenness as humanity that is even evident to those who don’t believe in the gospel. There are many times that we feel that our needs are greater than somebody else’s. We want to be more accomplished in our own ability to boast and have what we don’t have.
The dangers of this envy and jealousy of what others possess lead to these common expressions: “I need this more than they do”, “This belongs to me, not them”, “I worked hard for this, they didn’t”, “I deserve this, and they don’t”. The gospel speaks extremely opposite of this attitude. In fact the gospel has nothing to do with fairness. It has everything to do with Grace. It is not that we teach others to take advantage of you, but if it becomes the attitude that I myself and my needs are superior than somebody else’s, it is no more than self-centred, and arrogant. True Love, Grace, and Mercy extends way beyond our human sense of justice.
It is not in obtaining things or status that brings us satisfaction in this life, but only in knowing Christ and the gospel which speaks truth, love, and humility into our hearts. Thus today, if you feel that your needs succeed over the needs of others, and you feel bitterness or anxiety on your heart comparing your self, repent and find satisfaction in God’s love for you over all these things. May Christ be enough for you, and in knowing the sufficiency of his grace would fill your heart to live not as one greater, but one that is living today in God’s great mercy.
“The cure for the sin of envy and jealousy is to find our contentment in God.”
T H E O P H I L U S 
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