Lust: usually intense or unbridled sexual desire; an intense longing – Merriam-Webster Online

I look at the definition above and think. Am I a lustful person and where am I directing that lust? All the Lord makes is good. Yes, even lust is good, when directed to and in the right things.

I have a beautiful wife and she is enough for me. In our church, our pastor was very open about his lust for his wife. His approach is that any and all that she is drives him to love her even more. Whether her hair is blond or brunet. Whether cleaning house or loving the kids. He loves her and she is enough. I feel the same about Lori. This is the purity in the lustful desires that we have. It is great and lovely to lust after my wife and know that she is all and enough for me. I don’t need to wander away from her to fill me. Lori is the right thing for me and where I can and should direct my lust. As noted in the definition above, lust is “an intense longing”, and that is what I have for her.

When I turn lust into the world and look for that which will bring me joy, I have to remember to turn it to the right things here as well. What is the right thing to turn to within the world, what is that which I can and should lust after? GOD!!! He is where I should be turning to. His work is where I should be lusting after. He is right and good. He is enough. He is everything that will bring joy.

There is nothing in this world that will bring peace and joy that comes from God. Leaning on Him is where I get the most. He gives me comfort, strength, guidance, He provides for my needs and blesses me beyond belief. I should be lusting after that which brings me the most and that is Him. He is pure and great and that is all that I need. “Purity is a pursuit that leads to life” (Jared Patrick, 2023). When I am seeking him, I am seeking that which is right and will gain life that is abundant.

Where are you lusting? Are you looking to fill your world with things that are not right? What if you were to lust after God and doing His work and pursue purity that leads to life?

“⁸But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.” — 1 Timothy 6:8 (ESV)

I see this verse and when I think of all that I have accumulated over the years of my life, I think, “…but, I really need…” This house is important. My car. My designer clothing. My computers and home office. I have all of these things that I use and have value create efficiency and I am happier for having them.

The thing is that those things, where they may make me feel better and create for comfort, they are not the things that are required in life to make it. The verse above outlines just what is required in this world, food and clothing. The very basics are what I “need”.

I think back to my grandparents and just what they had as I was growing up. They had each other and what was in their homes. There were many Christmases where we as family would gather around them and would gift them one of our luxuries with the intention that they would get the same value out of it as we did. They would simply look at the item and offer a sincere thank you for the gift. I could see the bewilderment on their face and looking back now, realize that they never used the item as the value we saw was not something that was of value to them. They were happy and content with their lives and all that they had, even as it may not have been the “latest and greatest” things.

I see now that I am older and have worked on my priorities that what really matters is what we are able to do in the name of God. What and how are we able to do those things to impact others in a positive way and not what we can accumulate that will provide our comfort.

“⁶But godliness with contentment is great gain, ⁷for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.” — 1 Timothy 6:6-7 (ESV)

Paul points out that all that we accumulate over our time here in this world was of no consequence when we arrived and is no of no consequence when we leave. Why then should we work so hard to accumulate and keep while we are here. I have to remember that which is important, pleasing the LORD and bringing glory to Him while I bring the gospel to the world. I do not “need” all those comforts, it is only “food and clothing” that are required.

What things are you holding on to that are not really required? Are you accumulating things under the impression that you “need” them? What more would you be able to do in life if you were to realize that what you require are as simple as “food and clothing” to be content?

I believe that too often I am unaware of my circumstances. Not that I am lost or understanding of the things that are going on around me, but I am not aware of where I am and what I should be focusing on in those circumstances.

“¹²I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.” — Philippians 4:12 (ESV)

I look at the above and notice that Paul is fully aware of everywhere he finds himself. He knows when abundance is there and when there is need. He is understanding of where he is and what he should be focused on and not whether there is more for him.

I have to be more like Paul in my circumstances. I have to know that where I am I am supposed to be for the glory of God. I am here to serve Him and not myself. Whether there is abundance or need, I have to be there in the moment and look to what God has for me and not what it is that I want.

“¹¹Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. ¹³I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” — Philippians 4:11&13 (ESV)

God is with me regardless of where I am. My circumstances are not important and my focus should be on Him and less on those things around me. I have to be using the strength He provides to do His work. My highs and lows are not the focus, but the work for Him, and He provides for that work every time. I have to be aware and content. I have to know that where I am, God has me. I have to know that whatever comes my way, He has planned for. I have to go wherever He asks me to do and do whatever He asks me to do. I have to be content in my service to God.

I have a friend that I may have spoken of before and he demonstrated this contentment in the work while he was in high school. He was a valued member of the baseball team and there were a number of games scheduled over the spring break time. He had committed to serve as a counselor on a youth trip with the church and elected for the trip as opposed to the games with high school. Needless to say, he was benched for a couple games for missing. Yet, my friend was content with his decision and focused on the work of God. He ended up playing ball in college and is much the better man for his contentment in that situation.

I have to remember that contentment is in all circumstances. I have to know why and when that why aligns with God, then that is where I am to be.

What circumstances have you been in that you may not have been content? Are you focused on the circumstance or the why you are there? What if you focused on the work of God instead of the circumstance to gain your contentment?

Wow, gluttony is not really something that I immediately think of as a sin. I am just one that has been afforded more than I need and that is not wrong, is it?

Gluttony: 1 – Excess in eating or drinking, 2 – Greedy or excessive indulgence. — Merriam-Webster Online

I know that based on the definition above I think of gluttony in the case of number one as pertains to eating or drinking. And I will say that over the past few years, I have realized that I do not need that second plate of food, and Lori and I have even bought smaller plates to curb some of the over eating that happens in our home.

What I had not really thought of actively was all of the other indulgent behaviors and areas that I have take part in my life. Too many lawn tools that are only used periodically and not even every year. Too many electronic devices. Too much TV watching. All of these seem to fall into the luxuries that are really not needed and lend to bloated feelings as relates to possessions and vices.

As I read and study “gluttony” I again see that this seeming small sin leads to greater sin that can and will overtake the individual. Gluttony leads to greed which leads to envy which leads to pride which leads to anger. All of these, I may find small in themselves, although when combined they are debilitating and demonstrate a character that is less that the example of Christ’s love.

It is contentment and self-control that allows for the overcoming of gluttony. Knowing that I have enough and actively working against the acquiring of more. I have to know that more is not better in the idea of things. It is love and being okay with what I have that will guide me in the direction of focusing and doing of God’s work for His glory and not my own.

I need more of the actions of guying smaller plates and looking to the necessities as opposed to looking to gain more as is typical in the quest for the “American Way”. I have to know that doing the work of God with what I have is more than enough to accomplish His plan for me. God give what I “need” and when appropriate, He will bless me with more and as relates to both, it is my duty to be thankful to Him and His gracious giving. I then need to be sure that I am sharing those gifts with others and not gluttonously holding them for myself.

What do you have in your life that is more than you need? Are you hording the excess and possibly letting it lead to additional sin? What if you were to be content with what you have and demonstrate self-control to not gluttonously work to acquire even more?

“⁴Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant ⁵or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; ⁶it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. ⁷Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. ⁸Love never ends.” — 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (ESV)

And there it is, what love is and what it is not. Love is there for the good and it really does overcome the evil. Where love is the other cannot be.

I am studying the word “envy” and this morning was brought here and low and behold I have found the way that envy can be rooted out of my life, heart, and mind. I have to fill them with love and when I do so, envy cannot reside. I have to allow love to overtake me and then flow from within to the outside so that I can share with those around me. I have to be the example of love.

I know that I have chose the right mission in life as I continue to read and study God’s word: “Improve lives through growth and learning as an example of God’s love.” The last 4 words are the truth I have to remember each and every day. When I am the example of God’s love, I will have no room for envy in my life or anywhere. I will be filled with that which I will let overflow onto others and in all situations, love, and more importantly the love of God.

What are you filling up with daily? Are you allowing envy to fill you and not allowing love? What if you were to fill with the love of God and allow it to root out envy in your life?

“²⁹They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, ³⁰slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, ³¹foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.” — Romans 1:29-31 (ESV)

Even as envy is a small thing and unless acted on, there seems to be little harm in being envious of someone else, but that is a very slippery slope. As I read this morning in Romans, I notice all that tends to go with envy. I see that there is covetousness, deceit, gossips, boastful, foolish, and more. It is too easy to fall into all those other sins and unrighteous behavior when I allow the smallest of things like envy to creep into my mind and heart.

When I start with the envy of someone’s possessions I am giving way to the potential to act on that envy and work toward accumulating at all costs. I will lend myself to not only be envious of the possession, but I will then begin to covet that possession. Then I will use deceit to get it, or if not able to get the possession, I will create gossip or take to slandering the other so as to bring them down. I will engage in ruthless and heartless behavior to obtain the possession and not just for me, but at the expense of the other to somehow lift myself up above them in some way.

I have to be wary of that which is within me so that I am not letting it out. Just the smallest of evil things will bring about larger evil in the long of things. Envy is one of those smaller things than infects and creates larger evil. I have to be in the business of spreading love as opposed to looking for the chance to be placed in a position that others will revere. I have to lift up others, even when that seems to be over my own. I have to stay away from the small things of evil to aid in my staying away from them manifesting into larger evil.

What small things are you allowing in your life that may be leading to larger things? Are you allowing the smaller evil to manifest into the larger evil? What if you were to focus on love and spreading that love as opposed to envy and what comes with it?

“²⁰And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. ²¹For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, ²²coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. ²³All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” — Mark 7:20-23 (ESV)

It is what comes out of a person that is where the problem lies. Anything that goes in can be dealt with and squashed before it can do any harm. Only those things that come out of someone are known and will cause harm and/or demonstrate their true selves at that time.

In the above verses, Jesus is explaining all that will create defilement of a person. He is clear to indicate that those are what comes from within that person, and this got me to thinking about what is within me and how it got there and what I can do to deal with it.

We watch a lot of movies and shows here and really enjoy them for the entertainment value that they present. In a number of those productions there is a character that swallows some bomb, or note, or other thing that might bring harm to another character or group. This item is taken into the character for safe keeping and is not let out. This item may damage the inside of the character in the short run, however if or when it is expelled, its condition is now of no harm to anyone else.

I take in a lot from those instances around me and I have the choice to keep it within or let it out. Keeping things within allow for the dispelling of the item and all that is harmful about it. Thoughts and ideas are some of those things that are taken in and I have the chance to end them there are act on them and demonstrate myself.

Envy is one of those items that may start as something that comes into me as a thought. When that thought comes into my mind, I then have the choice to act on that thought or bury inside me to protect me and those around me. Protecting me is part of it, as when I let the envy out for the world to see, they are now conflicted in what I say that I represent, and what they see I represent. I have heard the saying, “actions speak louder than words” and that is what is going on here. The visual of envy is speaking volumes to those witnessing them.

I have to know that it is what comes from within me that makes all the difference in my character, how I act and react, as well as what others see and therefor believe about me. I have to remember not to defile myself with that which is coming from inside of me. I have to be able to take things in and know that is where they end. I have to think of my body as the protector of me and others from the things that enter. If and when those things are expelled, it is important that they are of no harm to anyone else, not even me.

What are you displaying that first entered you? Are you allowing things that defile you to exit and possibly harm others? What if you were to take those things in with the intention of keeping them there to protect others and more importantly yourself?

This morning I was reading in Proverbs and continuing my study of “envy”.

“¹⁷Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the LORD all the day.” — Proverbs 23:17 (ESV)

Here is another example of a verse that can be confusing when we are not focused on the full word of God and only looking at the words. When looking simply at the words in the verse there is a tendency to simple abide by them. Although, when you look deeper into God’s word, we find more context and are delivered to the truth of the totality of His word and not just this that is caught in a moment.

I digress out of the previous paragraph and get to my learning and reminder this morning. Look a the second part of the verse above. I should fear the LORD continually. That fear is acting on God’s word and not sitting idly by and allowing myself to be corrupted by what others are doing or saying.

“³Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.” — Psalm 37:3 (ESV)

Again, filling myself with the LORD and focusing my attention on Him and His work will weed out all of what should not be there. When my focus is on acting out for the LORD, I am able to avoid that which is going against me.

The envy that manifests when we are not focused on the good of God and doing His work is debilitating to the point that we are not able to continue forward for God. We tend to dwell on those things and forget about the love God has for us and the love that we are to be returning to Him and heaping on those around us.

I am sure that most of us have experienced that shortening of time as we are focused on some task or work. I know that when I have my head buried in something, I am not concerned about anything else and time seems to fly by and everything around be goes on without my notice and frankly I am not bothered or even aware by any of it at any time. I have a couple of co-workers that eventually married. Thing is, it was several weeks before I knew as I was too busy working to get involved in their relationship. I went to one of them and asked how I did not know about their marriage and was looked at and with a serious statement they said, “because you are not all up in everyone’s stuff.” Where at first this concerned me as I was not creating relationships enough with people to know personal things about them, I eventually came around to the realization of the compliment to my work ethic and focus on those things that are of more importance.

What does this previous paragraph have to do with the idea of acting as opposed to envying. Well, when I am focused on those things that are of more importance, I am able to avoid all of the things that get in the way, like gossip, and sin. Diving into the work of the LORD will afford me the avoidance of things that are going to fade anyway.

“¹Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! ²For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.” — Psalm 37:1-2 (ESV)

I have to act on the work of the LORD and there is where I will find the sustainable love and care that I am looking for in this world. I find my reward in doing His work and not in the envious thoughts around others.

“⁴Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” “¹⁸Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.” — Psalm 37:4 & Proverbs 23:18 (ESV)

Where is your attention? Are you envying those around you? What if you were to simply put your head down and act on the works asked of you by God therefor being able to avoid the envious thoughts as they are now not even seen?

I am reading this morning in Proverbs about “envy” and will say that at first reading, I am a bit confused with the below passage.

“³¹Do not envy a man of violence and do not choose any of his ways, ³²for the devious person is an abomination to the LORD, but the upright are in his confidence.” — Proverbs 3:31-32 (ESV)

You see, when I look at this passage I see that I am not to envy the violent and devious, and in the next part there is reference to the upright. Am I to envy them instead.

Where I know that the answer to the last sentence is NO, I cannot help wondering what someone that only sees this passage would say or think or act on. I know that envy is one of the seven deadly sins, but do others. I know that we should not envy at all, but is that the teachings that are coming from the world I have to ask.

This is a great case for the study of God’s word and not just His words. God’s word is bigger than just the few words found in this passage. In fact, in my concordance there are five passages that I will be studying on the subject of envy. There are countless others that are not in the concordance that should be studied as well (ex. The parable of the prodigal son).

When I look into the sin of envy, there is a lot that is encompassed therein. The passage this morning discusses not to envy violence and deviousness. I have to remember that this is not the only. It is envy that should be focused on, not that which is being envied. It is the envy that leads to the destruction, not the violence and deceit. Yes, violence and deceit are not to be tolerated, but with our focus on avoiding envy, those will be snubbed out.

Envy is that which will drive to other actions. It starts with comparison and then moves to want and then to desire and then to taking actions to obtain and then comes the “at all costs” part which is where violence and deceit come in. I have to avoid the root cause of the violence and deceit and that is envy. I have to demonstrate my content with that which is part of my life and know that what others have or obtain is for them and not for me at that time and then celebrate with them in earnest. My receipt of such things may not be in the plan for me from God and I have recognize that my work for God is of most importance. I have to root out all envy in my life.

What do you have in your life that may have begun with envy? Did you obtain those at all cost? What if you would have simply been content with what you had and sought after pleasing God and removed all envy from your life?

Envy: painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another joined with a desire to possess the same advantage (Merriam-Webster Online)

I was struck by envy as was presented by my pastor in our service over the weekend. The message was based in Luke and on the prodigal son although not the part that most of us would think. You see, the older, other son was of the envious sort as he the return and celebration of the brother as a slap in the face as he had been there the whole time and devoted himself to the father and the family business. How could the father be so giving to the one that had renounced the family and taken his inheritance and squandered it and then returned to a hero’s welcome while the older son toiled away continuing to work for all that he would later receive.

I have to admit that I was, to some degree, looking in the mirror as relates to certain points in my life. I feel a lack of appreciation for the work I am doing and yet, those that seem to struggle and fail are celebrated for doing something that to others is just a normal part of the job. I feel as though there is an over abundance of joy presented for someone or something that has just met the standard that others have been meeting for some time. What is that saying to the rest of the group.

I have to look inward at my own self and know and remember that what I do is not for me and that the work done by someone else is not the standard I hold to. I serve God and not man. My reward is in heaven and not here in this world. I am not bound by the acceptance or acknowledgment of those around me, but by the acceptance and acknowledgment of God the Father. I am a child of God and am only in this world temporarily, until I have completed that which has been assigned me by God. I have to let others receive that which they receive and celebrate with them knowing that all that comes to me is from God and not of man.

Wow, that seems so easy to do and when done, there is a full release and wave of comfort. But, seeming easy is not the same as being easy. I am a man and want what a man wants. I feel slighted when these things occur and certainly want what others are receiving. And that is why sitting in the sermon titled “The Sin of Envy & The Beauty of Love” is exactly what I needed. I was, as mentioned in my first paragraph, “struck” by the message. I was reminded and convicted of my own sin. I was reminded of the subtle nature of envy. I was convicted of my thoughts and feelings of and for others. I have been at the pity party and need to leave as it is hindering my celebration with others. I am thinking of me and not loving of others as I should. Envy can be small, but lead to bigger things. I have to recognize it for what it is, take on gratitude, and remember the truth of the gospel as noted by my pastor Jared: “The Heart of God is Forgiveness not fairness”.

What things are going on in your life that you think may be unfair? Are you looking to be recognized for what you do, or are you looking to celebrate with others? What if you recognized, showed gratitude, and remember the truth as opposed to wanting more or that which others have?