Tales of envy are common in the Bible. Rachel envied Leah because she bore children (Gen. 30:1). Joseph’s brothers resented him because his father showed favoritism to him (Gen. 37:11). The Jews opposed Paul’s preaching because of envy (Acts 13:45).

Any advantage held by another can trigger this feeling – intelligence, good looks, popularity, a good job, even a person’s spiritual insights. The most devout Christian is not immune to the subtle temptation of envy.

When F. B. Meyer held meetings in Northfield, Massachusetts, large crowds came to hear his stirring messages. Then the renowned British preacher G. Campbell Morgan came to Northfield. Soon the people were flocking to hear his expositions of Scripture. Meyer was envious. He said, “The only way I can conquer my feelings is to pray for Morgan daily – which I do!”

If you find yourself jealous or envious toward another, perhaps this is what you need to do.

Tags: jealousy, prayer

The Devil was once crossing the Libyan Desert when he came upon a group of small friends who were tempting a holy hermit. They tried him with the seduction of the flesh, they sought to sow his mind with doubts and fears, they told him that all his austerities were worth nothing. But it was all in vain. The holy man was impeccable.

Then the Devil stepped forward. Addressing the imps he said, “Your methods are too crude. Permit me for one moment to make a recommendation.” Going up to the hermit, he asked, “Have you heard the news? Your brother has been made Bishop of Alexandria.” Then a scowl of malignant jealousy clouded the serene face of the holy man.

What do you think? Would that tactic work on you?

Tags: jealousy, Satan, temptation

During the days when Evangelist Dwight L. Moody ministered in Chicago, a new saloon opened its doors. This was to be the largest saloon in the city and there was much promotion of its grand opening. As a joke they sent an invitation to Moody. In his own words, here’s his story:

“I took the invitation, and went down and saw the two men who had the saloon, and I said:

‘Is that a genuine invitation?’ They said it was.

‘I thank you,’ I said; ‘I will be around, and if there is anything here I don’t like I may have something to say about it.’

They said, ‘You are not going to preach, are you?’

‘I may.’

‘We don’t want you. We won’t let you in.’

‘How are you going to keep me out?’ I asked. ‘There is the invitation.’

‘We will put a policeman at the door.’

‘What is the policeman going to do with that invitation?’

‘We won’t let you in.’

‘Well,’ I said, ‘I will be there.’

I gave them a good scare, and then I said, ‘I will compromise the matter; if you two men will get down here and let me pray with you, I will let you off.’

I got those two rum-sellers down on their knees, one on one side of me and the other on the other side, and I prayed God to save their souls and smite their business. One of them had a Christian mother, and he seemed to have some conscience left. After I had prayed, I said: ‘How can you do this business? How can you throw this place open to ruin the young men of Chicago?’

Within three months the whole thing smashed up, and one of them was converted shortly after. I have never been invited to a saloon since.”

Do you think such a thing could happen today?

Tags: humor, invitation, Moody

The Bible clearly teaches that believers are children of God. Children are part of a family. One of the biggest challenges in ministry is to get people to step into the shoes of who they are in Christ.

What examples or illustrations come to your mind that would help a new Christian arise to this understanding?

“You’re blocking the way, sir,” said the usher to a man sprawled in the aisle of a movie theater. “Please get up.”

The man didn’t move or reply. The usher called the manager over, who said, “I must ask you to move.”

Still the prone man didn’t reply. So the manager called the police. “Get up or I’ll have to take you in,” the officer said. “Where did you come from, anyway?”

The man finally stirred and said, “The balcony.”

Have you ever felt condemnation toward another who was down and out? How can we judge someone when we haven’t walked in their shoes or understood what they have gone through that brought them to that place? Let’s be a little more understanding. Our job is not to judge, but to assist others on their spiritual journey. How are you helping?

Tags: humor, judging, mercy, resurrection

Some online dictionaries report each year on what words were looked up most on their site. Back in 2005, some of the most popular words were refugee, pandemic, tsunami, and levee. Because of worldwide catastrophic events that year, we can readily understand why those words were checked.

The most popular lookup for the Merriam-Webster Online dictionary that year, however, was the word integrity. The definition given is: “firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values.” It’s used to describe those who are unwilling to be bribed or morally corrupted. Why was that word on the top of the list?

Could it be because integrity is so lacking that many don’t know what it looks like in someone’s life? Why do you think it was the number one word?