“Love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.”
1 Corinthians 13:4b (AMPC)
As the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.” God’s love is the most powerful force that we can use to bring real lasting change. I believe God is calling all of us to stand up and “Be the Change” through the power of His love! The verse above highlights three opposing forces that dilute and break down the power of God’s love in us: envy, jealousy, and boastfulness (pride). Three things that seem small, insignificant and harmless, yet these are “forces” and “temptations” that hinder our ability to “Be the Change.”
Have you ever resented a coworker because they got the promotion and you didn’t? Have you ever been bothered because someone has more money, cars, or material things than you do? Have you ever tried to draw all the attention to your achievements, and tried to suppress others? Envy, jealousy, and boastfulness (pride) come in many different forms. What we need to understand is this–these things can absolutely stop us from achieving our God-given destiny because they hinder our ability to “Be the Change.” They chip away at the power of God’s love within us. Like a glass bowl that has a crack in it, when we open the door to these temptations, we become less likely to achieve our purpose.
If we want to leave a lasting legacy of change in our world, then we can’t allow envy, jealousy or pride to break down God’s love in us. No one wants to be “less likely” to achieve their God-given purpose. It’s too important! So, let’s decide today to be humble and ask God to reveal any cracks in our heart. If there’s been envy, jealousy, or pride on any level, allow God’s love revealed through the blood Jesus shed for our sins, to cleanse us of it all (1 John 1:7)! Let’s allow God’s love to fill our hearts again so we are not hindered in fulfilling our God-given destiny!
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
In Daniel 6, Daniel was accused of dishonoring the king and breaking the law. So, he was thrown into the lions’ den. But here’s the thing, Daniel was humble, honoring, wise, and he only possessed the love of God in His heart. Because of that, God saved Him, and he walked out of the lions’ den without a scratch. He went on to bring God’s blessing and God’s protection to an entire nation. What about the men who accused Daniel? They envied Daniel’s wisdom, and were jealous of His favor with the king, so they tried to bring attention to their skill sets, and they tried to take away Daniel’s blessings. The result? They were thrown into the den of lions.
So, the next time you feel yourself falling into the temptation of envy, jealousy, and pride, remember, these are major distractions! They will distract you from what really matters. You’ll be so concerned with things that don’t matter; you will miss what really does! Envy, jealousy, and pride will only dilute the power of love within you. As you can see, we cannot “Be the Change” with envy, jealousy, and pride in our heart. We can be the “chumps” with those things, but not the “change.” If we truly want to stand up and be a change in our world, then we need to stand up and allow God to remove any envy, jealousy, or pride that could be decreasing our power to love! (Branson Silva)
TODAY’S DECLARATION
“I will ‘Be the Change’ in this world because I have God’s pure love within my heart. I repent and release every thought of envy, jealousy, and pride I have allowed. And I choose to focus on love!”
TODAY’S BIBLE READING
Our Bible Reading Plan gives 25 daily readings per month. There is no scheduled reading for today. You can use this time to catch up on any readings you may have missed, or read through previous passages again.
