Jealousy. Don t Brag. Be Humble

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2 ealousy ave you ever wanted something that someone else owned? ave you ever wanted that super-cool bicycle, that shiny, beautiful piece of jewelry, or that cute little puppy, but you could not have it because it belonged to someone else? f you have, you might have felt jealous of what that person owned. ven though you might love the bike your friend owns, or really want the cute puppy that belongs to the boy down the street, you should never hate those people for having things like these. e should not treat others incorrectly or dislike them because of what they have or what they can do. n the story of ain and bel (in enesis 4), both the brothers gave offerings to the ord: bel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. nd the ord respected bel and his offering (vs. 4). owever, ain s offering was not acceptable to od. od did not respect ain for his offering because ain s offering was not given by faith. ain got very upset. nstead of focusing on being obedient to od, ain grew very jealous of his brother and killed him. his story shows what jealousy can cause if we allow it to enter and fester in our hearts. he ible teaches that we need to love our neighbors as our brothers, and that we should not covet other people s things. aul said that those who are jealous and envious will not inherit the kingdom of od (alatians 5:20-21). lthough it is acceptable to like something that someone else owns, we should not want it so badly that we would do anything to get it. his kind of jealousy leads to hatred toward other people. e need to treat others with love and respect, and we should not despise them for what they own. y being happy for those things that we already have in life, we can give all the glory to the ne ho created everything od! hat s more, our godly contentment helps us to be happy for others, instead of jealous of others (read hilippians 4:11-12). on t rag. e umble ou have heard it all before: e re number 1. am the greatest. e re the best ever. hile these sayings are sometimes expressed in a fairly innocent manner, hristians need to be careful about developing the arrogant attitudes that sometimes are expressed with such language. ince the beginning of time, atan has been trying to get humans to believe they are unbeatable. o you remember when he convinced ve that she would live forever even if she disobeyed od and ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (enesis 3:4-5)? atan wants us to sin against od by developing a prideful spirit instead of a humble one. n fact, he wants to see people becoming so puffed up that they begin thinking of themselves better than those around them, and perhaps even better than od. ing erod s prideful spirit (read cts 12:20-24) stands in direct contrast to the reaction of aul and arnabas when people at ystra attempted to worship them (read cts 14:818). ad they had the same arrogant spirit as erod, these two preachers would have accepted worship, and felt as if they deserved such honor. ut instead, these hristian men tore their clothes and ran in among the multitude, crying out and saying, en, why are you doing these things? e also are men with the same nature as you. aul did an amazing thing in ystra. y the power of od, he healed a man who had been crippled his whole life. aul did something on that occasion that neither you, nor anyone else living today, has done. t was more impressive than winning a spelling contest at school, or getting first place in some kind of sporting event. t was more extraordinary than being a billionaire. ithout any kind of medicine or modern medical technology, aul healed a crippled man who never had walked a day in his life. f there ever was a time to brag about one s good deeds and accomplishments, it would have been at that moment. nstead, aul tried to turn the people s attention to od and away from himself. y their examples, aul and arnabas have taught us how to handle praise from men. ather than becoming arrogant and puffed up when we do something impressive, we need to remember always to give od the glory (2 eter 3:18). nstead of taunting others and acting like we are better than everyone else, we need to remember aul s admonition: et him who boasts, boast in the ord (1 orinthians 1:31). 50,,., 2010,,,., 2010, 51

3 ossip oung children often play a game called ossip. he rules to the game are very simple. everal people get in a circle or a straight line. he person at the beginning of the circle or line thinks of a sentence like, he red horse fell into the water. hat person whispers the sentence into the ear of the person next to him. e cannot repeat the sentence once he whispers it, and he must speak very softly. he next person in line listens carefully and then whispers the sentence she heard into the ear of the person next to her. fter the sentence has gone through every person in the line or circle, the last person repeats the sentence as he thinks he heard it. lmost every time, the sentence at the end of the game is not the same one that was whispered at the beginning. or instance, the last person might have heard something like, he dead house turned into the otter instead of the original sentence, he red horse fell into the water. he game does a good job of showing that words and sentences often can get confused when they are passed from one person to another. n a similar way, gossip often gets passed around so much that the facts get lost. any times, the end of the gossip train is full of false, damaging information. the best of friends (roverbs 16:28). n 1 imothy 5:13, aul wrote about the widows who practiced gossiping, saying: nd besides they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house, and not only idle but also gossips and busybodies, saying things which they ought not. f we are not careful, we may find ourselves guilty of this same kind of wrongdoing. eep in mind the words of the wise man: wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit (roverbs 15:4). f anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one s religion is useless (ames 1:26). t is difficult for us to realize all of the heartache and sorrow gossip can cause. preading unkind and unnecessary comments about people (whether they are true or false) can destroy friendships, families, and the fellowship we have with our brothers and sisters in hrist. he ible says that a whisperer [gossiper] separates 52 ngry ords alking about people behind their backs is not a kind thing to do (read 2 orinthians 12:20). othing good comes from it. nother sinful thing to avoid is to say mean and hateful things to a person s face. ou should never make fun of someone. hen you make fun of somebody, you need to realize that you are making fun of one of od s creations. esus told us never to say mean things to our fellow hristians, or be angry with them for no reason. uring his ermon on the ount, esus said: say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment (atthew 5:22). avid was a man of kind words. e said: ease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret it only causes harm (salm 37:8). hen we speak mean words out of anger, nothing good comes from it. lso, you cannot teach people about hrist if you are angry all the time, because esus taught kindness and love. he ible teaches that you can be angry without sinning. phesians 4:26 reads: e angry and do not sin. o not let the sun go down on your wrath. esus, you may recall, got angry when the people were mocking od by defiling is temple. esus was angry, but e did not sin. f you have a problem with somebody, then you need to go to that person, and work things out. hen you are angry with someone, calm yourself down and speak peacefully in an attempt to resolve your problems. f someone is being mean to you or saying bad things about you, do not try to get even. ust being angry does not solve anything. ou can t out-hate hate. ate can be overcome only with love. s aul told the omans: o not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good (omans 12:21). t times, people will ask you mean questions, trying to get you to argue with them. on t argue with people who ask such questions. rguing would be a waste of your time, and it would be displeasing to od. nstead of arguing, answer kindly. olomon said: soft answer turns away wrath. ut a harsh word stirs up anger. he tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly (roverbs 15:1-2). alk kindly to those who are your friends, and even those who aren t your friends. ou may not enjoy being around everybody, but you can treat everybody you meet with kindness.,,., 2010,,,., 2010, 53

4 ty ty t t v c v c e ag 1. his apostle wrote that we should give glory to od 2. hatever you want men to do to you, do also to them (atthew 7:12). 3. he opposite of pride 4. ain became angry with him 5. as eaten with worms 6. aul taught that our boasting should be only in im 1. e should be mean to our friends. 2. e should retaliate when someone is mean to us. 3. eing jealous over what a friend has is sinful. 4. ou are special because od created you. 5. ing erod was prideful. 6. here are some people od does not care about. 7. e should hate our enemies. 8. vercome evil with good. 9. ain was jealous of bel. 10. gossiper separates the best of friends. olve, nd, and rcle rue or alse olden ule: hatever you want men to do to you, do also to them. 7. y the power of od, aul healed a crippled man in this city 8. aul taught the omans to overcome evil with this 9. eing happy with what you have ear igger oug, 10. umans are made in is image hat is the best way to make up with a friend whom you have hurt by sinning? 1. e should always be to our friends. 2. e should love our friends as well as our. 3. e should not be of what someone else has. 4. e should love our neighbors as. 5. hatever you want men to do to, do also to them. 54,,., 2010, ear eader, hank you for your question! ometimes it is hard to make up with friends after making them angry. irst, you need to make sure that you really are sorry for what you did. f you do not actually believe that what you did was wrong, your apology will be insincere (and probably seen as such). econd, many verses in the ible, such as 2 orinthians 12:21 and ames 4:16, tell us to be humble. f you are humble when you ask for forgiveness, the result will be a lot better than if you act like you don t care about making your friend angry. inally, you should go to your friend and let him or her know that you ll try your best to do better in the future.,,., 2010, 55

5 ,. 230 andmark rive ontgomery, (800) (rders) (334) onprofit rganization.. ostage ontgomery, ermit o pologetics ress, nc. ll ights eserved ditor: yle utt,.. ssociate ditor: ric yons,.in. ayout and esign: ob aker,.d. ove our nemies as ourself hen you are at school or at the park and you see a person with whom you don t get along, what do you do? ou stay away from them, don t you? ell, what if they come up to you and push you for no reason? ould you fight back? r, do you simply walk away and endure the teasing? n atthew 5:43-44, esus said: ou have heard that it was said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. ut say to you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who spitefully use you and persecute you. esus said that if someone slaps you on your right cheek, then turn to him the other cheek. hat means that if you get hit, you should not just hit the person back. nstead, you should try to walk away. hen, it may or may not (depending on the circumstances) be appropriate to tell someone like a teacher or your parents. f you do not retaliate you will be a stronger person. t takes a strong person to love his enemies, rather than to fight back. hristians are not commanded to fight fire with fire (treating your enemies like they treat you). nstead, esus taught, o unto others as you would have them do unto you (atthew 7:12). f someone is mean to you, then you need to be nice to them instead of being mean. omans 12:20-21 says: f your enemy is hungry feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. o not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. he best way to rid yourself of an enemy is to make him your friend. olve, ind, and ircle: 1. eter; 2. olden ule; 3. umility; 4. ble; 5. erod; 6. ord; 7. ystra; 8. ood; 9. ontent; 10. od. ill in the lanks: 1. kind; 2. enemies; 3. jealous; 4. ourselves; 5. you. : 1-; 2-; 3-; 4-; 5-; 6-; 7-; 8-; 9-; 10-.,,., 2010, 56 early ubscription ees in.. unds nly nited tates of merica: ndividual rate: $12 each ulk rate (at least 5 to same address): $8.50 each. lub rate (at least 10 to different address paid together): $10 omeschool discount 10% off above rates anada: $16 each (bulk: $12) verseas irmail: $21 each (bulk: $14)