Remember envy builds walls; love breaks them down.
| posted 1/30/2009
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It takes effort to cross the boundaries of race, social class, age, and marital status. But if you belong to God, you are brothers and sisters, and you should make the loving effort to cross over those boundaries and "love one another" (4:7). Envy builds walls. But love can tear them down and shows that we have been "born of God." Just as the love of God broke down the wall between him and us, so your love for your brothers and sisters can break down any walls of division.
But in real life, that can be easier said than done. When a friend gets married, sometimes you can't help it—you do feel envious, wondering what life is like "on the other side." However, part of loving others is being content with your life. Then you can relate to others without envy, focusing on what you have in common. You can take the initiative and open up to married friends about your work, your joys or struggles in your spiritual journey, or ways you've seen God at work in mutual friends' lives. And you can listen to what they're discovering about God, too! (See also Romans 15:1-6; Ephesians 5:1-5.)
Good Words to Remember:
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 1 John 4:7
Today's Challenge:
Are you making the effort to break down the friendship walls around you? Why, or why not?
Copyright 2001 by the author or Christianity Today International/Christian Bible Studies.
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