You murderer!
You may be shocked at the headline and question its relevance. Its all to do with jealousy. Its an outshoot from our discussion on saturday 15th Sept 07, I do not intend to g
o over everything that was discussed but just to draw out key points.Genesis Chapter 4 tells us of Cain and Abel, most of us know the story. Cain killed his brothe
r Abel because he was jealous and angry that God accepted Abel's offering and not his. As long as there have been relationships, there has been jealousy. We are jealous of our brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, boyfriend, girlfriend etc. Jealousy seems to be a universal emotion.Jealousy, as w
e discover from the scriptures can lead to anger and ultimately murder.Jealousy is an intense and powerful emotion, it's intensity is compared to that of love in Song of Songs. In the old testament God gave laws to address the potentially damaging effects of responding negatively in jealousy; Numbers 5: 11 -30.
Jealousy is an emotion like joy, anger, fear. Thes
e emotions are experienced by all, what matters is how we respond/act when these emotions arise. We can respond/act in a negative way (like Cain who killed his brother) or in a positive way (like John the baptist who said "Christ must increase I must decrease"). John the Baptist had the right attitude for when his disciples reported to him that Jesus was gaining more followers than he, rather than become jealous, angry and resentful he replied "no man can have anything, except what is given him from above..." This is a scripture I have found useful many times over
, and it has helped me find satisfaction in what God gives me rather than comparing myself to others.One area of jealousy I want to draw particular attention to is God's jealousy. God is exceedingly jealous for us his people. He always has and always will be. In the old testament (Exodus 20:5, Psalm 79:5, Ezekiel 8:5 & 35:11, Zechariah 1:14) God makes it
very clear that Israel is his chosen people, he called and chose them to be his special people, he rescued them from Egypt. He is their God and he will not tolerate any rivals. He wants their total devotion and affection. 
In the new testament (1 Cor 10:22, 2 Cor 11) God is still the same, His people are like a virgin bride set apart specially for him, he will tolerate no rivals.
God is jealous for your love because he made you out of love and to love and worship him; he chose you, while you were still a sinner he paid for you with his blood.
God loves you so much, heaven wont be complet
e without you. God is so intimate about you, he not only fondles your hair, he actually counts every hair.God is jealous for your trust,
he has given you great and wonderful promises. He has proved himself to be reliable and trust worthy in the past. He always keeps his word. He hurts when you rely on your own understanding, when you rely on the help of others rather than trust in the one who cares for you more than you can imagine or comprehend.God is jealous for your company, he walked with Adam and Eve in the garden, he walked with Abraham, he talked with Moses and Elijah. He wants to walk and talk wit
h you.God always takes the initiative and its up to us to respond. God is jealous for us, but his jealousy does not result in sulking, angry outbursts or manipulative behaviour. God is patient and waits longing that we would draw near to him; and when we draw near to him, he will draw even nearer to us.
There are two songs that always pierce my he
art and sometimes bring tears to my eyes, some of the lines are:What a friend I've found
Closer than a brother
More faithful than a mother
More intimate than lovers
Jesus friend for ever.
To be in your presence
To sit at your feet
To cherish each moment
Not rushing away
Here I would stay
This is my desire O Lord.
One thing I have resolved to do as a result of looking at this subject of jealousy is that I will increase the time I spend with God. I spend hours on the phone and online with friends because I love them and enjoy their company. If I only spend 15mins a day with Jesus, what's that saying about our relationship.
Jesus is jealous for me, I'll stop being jealous of other people and start being jealous for Jesus.
Please feel free to add your comments to this Blog post or via our group mail
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