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November 8, 2004 Creative Connection Weekly Devotional Life's Too Short - To Be Envious by Ed Young A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones. Proverbs 14:30 Not one of us likes to be called "green." We relate that color to being nauseous, being ill. When we see someone that is seasick we tell them that they look green, and they do. There's an illness that we have all dealt with, though, that causes the color green to show through in our lives. In fact, William Shakespeare called it the "green sickness." Envy demands us to be sad at someone else's success and be a fan of their failures. But God calls us to, "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn." We should be thankful when those around us are successful. But when we allow envy to come into our lives, we flash its fangs to those around us - its green phantom fangs. We've all done it at some point. We've flashed the green phantom fangs of envy at our neighbor when they bought the new car that we wanted. When our co-worker got the big promotion that we were going for, we flashed the fangs. The word that is used in the Bible for envy translates literally to, "having an evil eye." Envy is evil. There's no way to get around it. When we are envious, we exude evil. God, though, tells us that we are not to be envious of others. He wants us to see that he blesses each of us in different and unique ways. When we let envy into our lives, we forget the blessings that God has given us because we are too concerned with what other people have. This week, remember the blessings that God has given to you. Don't focus on what you don't have. Thank God for his grace and mercy in your life. And when you see that someone else has been blessed, be thankful that God has done that, too. Don't let the green phantom fangs of envy ruin what God has done in your life. For more information about relationships and other subjects, visit the Creative Connection website: www.creativeconnection.org � 2004 Creative Connection ____________________SUBSCRIPTION INFO_______________________ * This newsletter is never sent unsolicited. To unsubscribe from this newsletter immediately, simply click on the link below. If this link is not clickable, simply cut and paste it into the address bar of your browser. http://www.salememail.com/unsub/241/1698058.aspx * Copyright � 2004 Salem Web Network and its Content Providers. All rights reserved. 1698058 ____________________________________________________________ TRINITY COLLEGE & SEMINARY OFF CAMPUS & ONLINE Experience Personal & Ministry Growth Through Bible-Focused Degree Programs Associate and Bachelor of Arts Master of Arts, M.Div., Doctor of Arts, Doctor of Ministry http://l.salemweb.net/tcs2003tr/footer/ ____________________________________________________________ Questions or comments can be sent to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
