Deer, Deer ...Envy NOT

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Well, the stroke update is simply this. I went wireless for about 36 hours.  I called the cardiac monitoring system and told them I was unplugging my monitoring system for Thanksgiving.  I got a wonderful night's sleep Wednesday night without sleeping with the battery pack and all the wires!  I'm plugged back in for another 2 weeks!

We were blessed to house 4 young fathers and their 13 year old sons last Saturday night.
These deer boys and their dads gobbled up the pancakes I made Sunday morning!
November 27
Oh, how we loved the days when our home was filled with teens and twenty somethings.  But we are not envious of the job today's parents have of training up this younger generation.

Our pastor gave an excellent sermon on envy and the following day the same topic headlined one of the devotionals I read, so my ears perked up and I asked the Lord to reveal areas where I was allowing envy to get a foothold.  Pastor Stan stated, "Envy is a fatal distraction."

"Comparison is the thief of joy."
Theodore Roosevelt

Who's life or luxury have you wished for recently?

Paul David Tripp wrote: "Sadly, envy causes you to question the goodness, faithfulness, and wisdom of God.  Envy accuses God of not knowing what he's doing or of not being faithful to what he's promised to do...Today you'll envy the blessings of another or you'll bask in the wonder of the amazing grace you have been given."

The Pharisees are not Jesus fans. Actually, they are rather envious of the following surrounding him. Trying to trip Jesus us with some tricky questions, births only wisdom from Christ's mouth.
Jesus explains: For it is from within, out of a person's heart, that evil thoughts come-sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.  All these evils come from inside and defile a person.  Mark 7:21-23

Sandwiched in with all those sinful behaviors sits envy defined as an evil.

Are you off with family this holiday and looking around wishing life looked differently for you?
Maybe you are totally alone and having twinges of jealousy towards those whom appear to have a Norman Rockwell picture perfect life.

A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.
Proverbs 14:30

Instead of looking around, we benefit more from looking up to the Lord and then looking into our hearts and glance at the depth of love God has for us.  It is there we will find our peace, joy and contentment.

Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.  Colossians 3:16


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