Friend, do not fall in with the customs of those who walk in the lusts of the flesh and give the best share of their attention and effort to earthly things. You have a treasure that will never rust or decay, a treasure stored up for you in Heaven, one that lasts in eternity. What treasure is better than what you already have? The children of God live not to please the cravings of the flesh but according to the incorrupt nature of the Spirit. Therefore, worldly treasures should not captivate and rule over you. Neither should any of the blessings that others may enjoy, be they beauty, creativity, influence, or acclaim, result in your envy. Those blessings may seem attractive or valuable, but they are fleeting because they are of the world and cannot last forever.
To envy or covet is to not be content with what the Lord has given you. To envy is to indulge a desire for more, to have a longing for worldly things, accompanied by dissatisfaction with your present circumstances. You will discover envy within yourself if you realize you prefer worldly excess to righteous moderation. If you keep all your earnings for your own profit instead of making generous or sacrificial offerings for the benefit of others, you are motivated by envy. If you spend all your time and talent seeking the praise and rewards of men rather than pursuing the glory of God and the interests of the church, you are motivated by envy. When you covet, you assign a higher priority to your own interests and pleasures than to God. When your own satisfaction becomes your primary goal, you have taken on an idol, and it is you.
Envy is a destructive emotion that can lead you away from God and your purpose in life. It relentlessly increases the feeling of not being content with what you have been given. Be cautious, because envy often comes from a desire for things that you do not truly need. As a Christian, you are called to practice gratitude and contentment in all circumstances. Your Christian duties cannot be performed out of unselfish love and unambitious intentions when you suffer with envy. Envy can be a difficult emotion to overcome, but by focusing on gratitude and thanking God for his present blessings, you can resist the urge to envy.
Dear friend, be content with present things, with present riches or present poverty, with present benefits or burdens, with present affirmations or reproaches. Your contentment with these things shows itself in your thankfulness for every tender mercy, and by your eager submission to the will of God in every state and circumstance of your life.
I remind you, we have treasures in Heaven that cannot be measured; it is promised to us and awaits you now. Knowing what lies ahead, an immeasurable treasure that cannot be taken from you by any man, you can and should be content with what you now have in this temporary world. But more than that, you have the gracious presence of God with you, now in life, later at death, and then forever after in Heaven. What can be better? Amen!
