Wednesday; July 13

For many of us who grew up in the 20th Century, Willie Nelson was a constant fixture. Back before “The Outlaws” or “The Highwaymen”, Willie was a traditional Country music singer. Through the years he went through a series of creations and recreations as a personality, but one thing that transcended the eras was his ability to write songs. Nelson’s music catalog is incredible, but the other day I was struck by a phrase in one of his songs that really intrigued me. The song is “Forgiving You Was Easy” and the phrase described, “The bitter fruit of anger growing from the seeds of jealousy” that produced heartache. No matter if you like Willie or not, those words can really strike a chord! How many of us have struggled with anger because we have allowed jealousy to go unchecked? Whether directed at a lover, co-worker, friend or enemy; we must be cautious if we allow ourselves to become filled with hate or anger just because we didn’t deal effectively with jealousy. Jealousy can be dangerous in and of itself, but when left unchecked it can make us bitter.

Willie wasn’t the first one to comprehend this. The Bible understood the danger of jealousy when it warned, “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.” (James 3:16). The Holy Spirit understood that when we are led by an inappropriate self-centeredness, bad things can and will happen.

Are we feeling the twinge of jealousy? Now is the time to deal with it or we might end up reaping a bitter crop of emotions that can destroy us and harm others.

Think About It!

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