Read Zechariah Chapter 8
It Is Not Okay To Be Jealous, Or Is It?
Chapter 8 starts off with God saying in verse 2, “I am exceedingly jealous for my people, yes, with great wrath I am jealous for her.”
This is a troublesome statement for a lot of people, Christian and non-Christian, because we hear that jealousy is a sin. So why is okay for God to be jealous for us? There’s a difference between God’s jealousy and humankind’s jealousy.
Human jealousy can come from The following:
– A heart of hatredness for another. I am jealous that you are better than me in sports, the workplace, your ability to make friends, or whatever else. I hate you because of this.
– A heart of Coveting. I’m jealous because you have what I wish I had. A nice home, a nice four wheeler, a nice spouse, etc. Coveting is a form of idolatry. We want something so bad it replaces our heart for the Lord.
– A low self-esteem. I’m jealous because I know if I had what you have I would find fulfillment in it. This Is a lie from the devil. Our identity and happiness is not defined in what we have. It’s found in knowing who we are in Christ. Knowing who I am in Christ gives me a contentment in what I do have. It gives me a joy for the successes of others versus wishing ill upon them because of my jealousy.
Are we trying to find fulfillment in other things or other people?
God’s jealousy, on the other hand, is motivated by LOVE and HOLINESS. If God is jealous for us it means we are in a place of darkness, or we are headed toward hell and his jealousy drives him to want to save us, rescue us, heal us from the devil’s control into a place of freedom. This freedom is found in Christ and Christ alone. Nothing and no one in this world can do that for us. He wants us to walk in Christ which means in holiness. To walk in unholiness is to reject God who loves us.
Thank you God that you are jealous for me. That you care when I’m not loving you with all my heart. That you care when I try to fill the emptiness in my soul with the things of this world. Thank you God that you are jealous for me. That you want me to walk in holiness so I can escape the wrath that awaits those who have rejected you and your son. Help me to be holy. Help me to love you. Help me to find my identity in Christ. Help me to find contentment in you and not the things of this world. Help me quit committing idolatry and help me not to covet other things or other people. Thank you!
