Proverbs 14:30: "A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones."
Proverbs 14:31: "He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God."
Two proverbs, one message? Really? At first read, these proverbs are just two good thoughts laid back to back. But as we look deeper, we find a chilling connection that impacts every last one of us.
The first passage is one against envy, revealing the bone-rotting power of envy. And for anyone who has felt real envy, we know that proverb to be true. It poisons our conversations with the person we envy, it poisons our thoughts and leads us to make poor decisions. Contentment, though, leads us to a true place of peace and life, and the endless desire to keep up with the Jones' is replaced by the peace and joy of acknowledging God's blessings in the here and now.
What starts as an envious heart, though, has blossomed into a worldwide system of oppression. People, all people, become so interested in getting what everyone else has that we put our blinders to the reality of what that endless desire for stuff creates. When I began to find out how much of my clothes were produced by children in sweatshops, how many of my coffee beans were picked at gunpoint, how many of my electronics could only be manufactured by buying elements from warlords, it made me sick. It still does. What do we do when envy becomes a way of life? How do we apologize for what envy has done to our world? And how do we handle the fact that we are the benefactors of this system? I still shudder at the thought. How do we move forward? Your thoughts?
Hi Andy,
ReplyDeleteTo start the one thing we can and must do is personal repentance. We all would like to believe we are innocent but sin is sin, whether we are holding a gun to someones head to produce coffee or envious of our nieghbors it is the same in Gods eyes. Oswald Chambers said it very well in His Utmost for His Highest for 3/17. "My worth to God publicly is measured by what I really am in my private life." I have been challanged today to look at my private life first, which will take me a while, and them hopefully through Gods grace I can impact His world publicly.
Thanks to both of you for your comments..... Sallie, I think you're right on, it has to start with each of us, asking God to reveal to us those areas of our lives that need to be adjusted to address the NEEDS we have vs. all the WANTS that seem to come our way, with our ultimate satisfaction coming from our relationship with Him. Also, investigating reasonably, how He would want us to meet those needs, avoiding wherever possible, products that have come to us by the abuse of others. You guys have a GREAT day in Him!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteIndeed, I am reminded of the song "Send revival, start with me." Or in another context, Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror." One song is a bit more Christ-centered, but they draw from the same general idea. The journey of transformation is one that begins with the personal. And when we are transformed, every one of our relationships are transformed- including our relationship with the world. I draw that insight from "Transforming Spirituality" by Shults and Sandage. Great book. But it's a powerful reminder that we are all relational beings, and that we can spend a lot of time trying to change other people's hearts when really we struggle enough just to change our own heart! When our hearts are pointed Godward, we can then guide people toward a transformed world. Powerful thoughts, Steve and Sallie!
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