"It has been said that Envy is the one deadly sin to which no one readily confesses. It seems to be the nastiest, the most grim, the meanest. Sneering, sly, vicious. The face of Envy is never lovely. It is never even faintly pleasant. Its expression crosses our faces in a split second. 'Few are able to suppress in themselves a secret satisfaction at the misfortune of their friends,' said La Rochefoucauld, and few of us are able to suppress a secret envy at someone else's good fortune, or even at someone else's good joke. If we confessed each day how often we had been envious during it, we would be on our knees longer than for any other sin.
Although all the deadly sins are morbid and self-destroying, Angus Wilson has said, most of the others provide at least some gratification in their early stages. But there in no gratification for Envy, nothing it can ever enjoy. Its appetite never ceases, yet its only satisfaction is endless self-torment. 'It has the ugliness of a trapped rat that has gnawed its own feet in its efforts to escape.'"
Henry Fairlie, The Seven Deadly Sins for Today, 61.
Envy is our cultural marker. It marks the West. It marks most of us.
The great irony is that we don't even see it in ourselves. We have the ugliness "of a trapped rat that has gnawed it own feet in its efforts to escape" yet we don't see our true condition. We want more. We want what we deserve. We want it now. We know we would have everything we want if others just got out of our way and recognized us for our true wonderful selves.
The great irony is that we don't even see it in ourselves. We have the ugliness "of a trapped rat that has gnawed it own feet in its efforts to escape" yet we don't see our true condition. We want more. We want what we deserve. We want it now. We know we would have everything we want if others just got out of our way and recognized us for our true wonderful selves.
This is even true in the Church.
Rarely are we really happy for the success of others. Instead, we want the gifts, talents, and blessings that others enjoy. Somehow we just know that others don't really deserve their blessings and we know that deserve more than we got. At the very least, it would great if God helped us have a little less struggle and heartache!
I know most of us would deny that we live this way. Yet, I think on this Easter week that a real and deep analysis of our life would illustrate the heart of our prayers to God and our complaints about our lives. We want more! We want the peace, love, blessings, and talents of others.
I know most of us would deny that we live this way. Yet, I think on this Easter week that a real and deep analysis of our life would illustrate the heart of our prayers to God and our complaints about our lives. We want more! We want the peace, love, blessings, and talents of others.
"Envy's appetite never ceases,
yet its only satisfaction is endless self-torment."
The only way off this carousel of sin is repentance and faith.
We were created to have our satisfaction and joy from our relationship with Jesus. Ask the Spirit to point out where envy rules in your life and in the church. Ask for grace to repent and find satisfaction in Jesus' love for you. Meet with other gospel-centered believers for encouragement as you seek to lessen the rule of envy in your life. Most importantly, when the Spirit points out your envy for other's blessings of love, peace, power, things or talents, repent and believe the gospel!
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