Green with Envy

Green with envy. Why green? The green-eyed monster of jealousy comes from a line in Shakepeare’s Othello. This message is about those times when we compare, when we lust, when we covet what others have and even resent what others have.

Two key passages in the Bible speak to the problem of envy. One comes from the Ten Commandments and the other from Paul’s letter to Timothy. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor” (Exodus 20:17.) “Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that” (1 Timothy 6:6-8). Envy is wanting what someone else has, and contentment is being satisfied with what you already have.