Does your heart rejoice when you come across someone who is more gifted than you in making much of God?

For example, perhaps you serve in a worship team at church, and you are known for a beautiful voice. Do you rejoice when someone whose voice is even better than yours joins the team? What about someone who’s a better teacher than you? Or a better musician than you?Or a better mom than you? Or a better preacher than you?

Subtle ways of displaying jealousy is, “I know she sings well, but she showboats…,” Or “Yes, he’s a great teacher but he spits when he talks..” It’s the adding of the “but.”

How do you not get jealous when someone else better than you appears? Easy. Make it about the thing you care about more than yourself. For example, if you care about the praise team more than yourself, when someone who sings better than you joins the team, you would be happy that the praise team will be better for it. But as long as you are about yourself, you will be jealous.

When David, who was a great warrior, appeared, Saul was jealous but Jonathan was glad. Saul was focused on himself. Jonathan was focused on God. Therefore, when someone who is more gifted and talented than himself appeared, Jonathan was only glad because David would bring greater glory to God than himself.

When I was a youth pastor and I was pretty close to some of the youths, I never had a parent who was jealous that his kids liked me more than they liked them (the parents). Why? Because they were about their children. As long as their children were guided and directed in a godly manner, they were appreciative and took a backseat even to me. In other words, they were dedicated to the well-being of their children more than themselves.

Watch what you get jealous over. You can know what’s really important to you.

Fall in love with God more than yourself. Jealousy will lose its grip.

PH