Where envy and selfishness exist

You read almost every day of someone that hurt, maimed or killed someone because of something that didn't amount to a hill of beans. I have often wondered what is going through that person's mind to do something so vile, so evil, so extreme. Especially when you hear what it was about.

There have been people killed because of the shoes they wore. There have been people hurt because of something they said that was taken out of context. There have been people maimed because of a misunderstanding that, if explored, would have prevented the action taken.

Today's word explains how this happens. Today's word is from James 3:16, NIV, which reads, "For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice."

People do these heinous things because of envy and selfishness. What is envy? Envy is a feeling of discontentment or covetousness because of inferior feelings due to someone else's status or stuff. Now, it may be that someone else is doing better than you, but that doesn't give you the right to hurt them. What it should do is motivate you to do better. If someone is wearing me out playing pool, I don't whack them over the head with the cue stick; I watch what they do and how they do it in order to better my abilities. I may never beat them at pool but I will work to improve my game. Taking away their stuff doesn't make my stuff any better.

The other thing is selfishness. We can all be a little selfish from time to time. It is when we allow our selfishness to take charge in our life that we have our problems. I realize that most people are smarter than I am. Most people are better looking than I am. Most people have more stuff than I will ever have. But, none of them can be more blessed or having more fun than I am. Instead of concentrating on what others have, why not concentrate on what you do have.

Let's not allow envy and selfishness to bring disorder and every evil practice. Let's concentrate on what we have and not worry about what everyone else has. I would venture to say that my life will get more peaceful the more I practice that.

Be Blessed,
Mickey T