Smokin day at verticalCHURCH Sunday as we continued our Stuffed series. I won't recap everything that was said yesterday (if you want to watch the service you can go here to view it on youtube), but here are a few thoughts that didn't make the cut for the message. Think of these as Bonus Features!
1. Jacob suffers from the same kind of life comparisons and envy we talked about yesterday. In Genesis 27, the first words Jacob speaks (which in Jewish literature are very significant) are "I am Esau." When we first meet Jacob, He is pretending to be someone else. This comes back later when Jacob is wrestling with "a man" in Genesis 32. To the question "What is your name?", Jacob answers, "Jacob." The years have finally made him comfortable in his own skin.
2. The tribes of Israel struggle with this as well in 1 Samuel 8. The elders approach Samuel and say "... appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have." The plan was that God would rule this nation and they would be different than their neighbors. But that's not good enough... they want to be like their neighbors.
3. Job records a sharp word about envy in Job 5.2, "Resentment kills a fool, and envy slays the simple." When a person finds him/herself envying what someone else has without spending the time working through those feelings, scripture says they are a fool, and it will ultimately kill them. It is very violent language that says this attitude will be your downfall.
Just a couple of extra thoughts concerning envy that were left on the cutting room floor. Don't forget to continue contributing to the complaint jar this week. Go ahead and plan to throw in extra when you find yourself wanting what someone else has. Remember, my joy is not determined by what YOU have and I don't, but by WHO JESUS IS. He is good. I've been blessed. I will be grateful.
Pastor Josh
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