Rising Above Jealousy

There are a lot of different ways one could look at jealousy. Today, we are going to discuss a simple idea, and that is rising above jealousy for Christ’s-sake. I’m pretty sure all of us already know that jealousy is wrong and harmful in so many ways, but let’s look at why we must chose to rise above jealousy.  In order to do this, we will look at Paul’s example in Philippians chapter one.

In this chapter, Paul is imprisoned and thankful for the situation he is in for the gospel’s sake (Philippians 1:12-13). Many, because of his example, are speaking, “…the word of God without fear.”(1:14, NASB), while others, “…are preaching Christ even from envy and strife...” (1:15). The men who do this, do so because of “…selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me [Paul] distress in my imprisonment.” (1:17, Emphasis mine). 

Many times when we get jealous over our brothers and sisters, it is over petty things, such as job status, popularity, or characteristics. Think now about what Paul was going through. He was not dealing with a simple feud as we do, he had these individuals preaching the gospel, not out of “pure motives” (1:17), but to slander Paul’s reputation in order to cause him “distress”. Don’t you think that if anyone had a right to be jealous it would be Paul? However, what was Paul’s reaction to this?

Paul said, “What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice.” (1:18). Even when Paul’s reputation was being slandered, he did not get jealous, but rejoiced in the fact that Christ was proclaimed by these selfish and jealous individuals. Why did he do this? Because he knew what was at stake – the reputation of Christ.

The next time you have the urge to get jealous over petty little things that revolve around pride or personal status, think carefully about the cost. We must remember that it is not our reputation that is at stake, it is Christ’s. That means when we feel that our pride has been struck, we must step down and resist the urge to be jealous, for Christ’s sake. That means when we feel we deserve the thanks, but another is getting it – forget about it, because Christ’s reputation is at stake.  Let us chose to rise above jealousy for the sake of Christ!