The High Cost Of Envy - Cain - The One Year Men of the Bible

One day Cain suggested to his brother, “Let’s go out into the fields.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him.

Genesis 4:8

Fans of the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers found their 2002 celebration of yet another championship tempered when the well-publicized friction between superstars Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant sharply escalated. Despite their three league championships together, the two players simply could not get along.

Each colossal ego wanted to establish the Lakers as “his team,” and both men refused to back down. When the dust finally settled, what had looked like a long-term dynasty abruptly fell apart. The team traded away O’Neal, and since then, the Lakers have not come close to recapturing their championship form.

Take a bow, envy and jealousy.

The Bible introduces us to the destructive power of envy in the person of Cain, who murdered his brother Abel. When God accepted Abel’s sacrifice and rejected Cain’s, the latter flew into a murderous rage.

Cain didn’t kill Abel on a whim. He let feelings of envy and jealousy build up until he had devised a scheme for taking the life of his brother, who had done him no wrong. Cain and his entire family paid a heavy price for his envy.

Unfortunately, a little bit of Cain lives in every man. Think about the twinge of anger you feel when someone you believe is less qualified gets promoted ahead of you. What about the surge of jealousy that erupts when you hear a friend praise a business rival? That’s envy at work, and it needs to be confronted, rejected, and crucified.

You can overcome envy, jealousy, and the anger and frustration that always follow by learning to be content with what God has given you and where he has placed you.

Combat envy by consciously choosing to rejoice with others. Envy has no room to take root in the soil of genuine joy!