Goodbook messages arrive every Monday, Thursday, and
Friday with a Scripture reading and ideas for how to apply the reading in our
lives. We are reading through the book of Acts. For additional Scripture
reading, you can follow the Advanced Track.Reading: Acts 17:4-5
(Advanced Track: Hosea)
4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women. 5 But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.
Application:
Jealousy is a dangerous emotion that can lead to destructive behavior. We see this play out in our Scripture reading. Paul and Silas had just finished showing the Jewish people how Jesus was the Messiah, God’s promised Savior and Deliverer. Many people believed. This caused other Jewish people to become jealous. They did not have a problem with Paul and Silas’ message per se. They were upset that so many people believed what Paul and Silas were saying and followed their teaching. So they formed a mob, started a riot, and rushed after Paul and Silas.
The word “jealousy” is mentioned one other time in the book of Acts. It is during Stephen’s long speech in chapter 7. Stephen was recounting the history of God’s people. He mentioned the story of Joseph and his brothers. Joseph’s dad treated him as his favorite and it made the other brothers jealous. Because they were jealous, they sold Joseph as a slave in Egypt.
Jealousy is a dangerous emotion that can lead to destructive behavior. If I’m honest, I recognize jealousy pop up in my life. If I see someone who seems to have things easy when I am struggling, sometimes I feel jealous. If I see someone succeed or get praise, sometimes I feel jealous. If I see someone who has something I want, sometimes I feel jealous. Those feelings of jealousy tend to come from my own insecurities and sense of entitlement. I think these feeling are natural, but it’s what we do with them that is critical. Do we allow these emotions to drive us toward destructive behavior? Or do we allow these emotions to drive us closer to God.
When I feel jealous, I need to remember several things. First, I need to remember that God created me good and loves me for who I am. I don’t need to be anything, have anything, or do anything for God to love me. I am a beloved child of God. Second, I need to remember that God has good plans for my life. Rather than get upset over the successes and achievements of others, I should instead seek what God wants to do in and through my life. Third, I need to remember the blessings I have. We can focus on what we don’t have or we can focus on what we do have – and all of us have an incredible amount of blessings in our life. When we focus on the blessings, the jealousy subsides.
1) When you feel jealous, remember: God created you good and loves you for who you are; God has good plans for your life; and you have lots of blessings in your life.
Share your thoughts, questions, and ideas about how to apply this…
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