[1 Corinthians 13:1-4]

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.  Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy… ”

TRUTH TO BELIEVE:
Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”  The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”  So the LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! 
You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.  And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; 
he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”  Genesis 3:13-15, NIV

Care to try and identify Eve’s defining character trait?
Prideful?  Entitled?  I believe that Eve demonstrates an example of envy and discontentment.  In making the big decision in the garden Eve essentially declares to God, “I don’t believe you.  I don’t need you.   And I think You are holding out on me.  I want what you have.”

Envy [Noun]
-A feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else’s possessions, qualities, or luck
-A person or thing that inspires such a feeling

Eve was in the Garden of Eden where the Lord walked in the cool of the day. If there was ever a person who had everything, it was Eve. Eve took the bait of discontentment. How ironic that the very thing that Eve thought would fulfill her actually led to death.

Envy has a deeper root than just wanting something that someone else has or owns.  Envy implies to God that His love is not enough.  Envy says, “I don’t believe Your work on the cross was enough.”

Sometimes I have a lot in common with Eve.  Oftentimes I let comparison fuel discontentment and envy.  We’ve said it before and I will say it again, comparison is the thief of joy. (Dwight Edwards.)  I despise the fact that this season threatens to leave me pouting and envious instead of generous, compassionate, and awestruck.

That’s why I must keep my focus centered on the King in the manger.

HOPE TO CLAIM:
Christ has provided everything we need to be content in Him. Trust Him with your possessions, your family, and your life.  Let Him be the Prince of Peace to your moments of unrest.

“Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Phil. 4:10-13 

CHALLENGE TO EMBRACE:
“A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.” Proverbs 14:30, NIV

-Perform one act today that defies what the world would envy.  Choose not to seek attention.  Refuse to watch commercials or view magazines that could ignite discontentment in your life.  Instead, spend your day thanking God aloud for the many gifts he has given you- including your body and your family.

This life is too precious to spend it enviously.  Love is NOT ENVIOUS.

Following,
Ginger

Advent Resource: Advent Conspiracy- A movement to Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More, Love All.  Follow the link to the site, watch the [AC Promo] video, and move from envy to action.