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1Pet 2:1-3 . .Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy,
and all evil speaking; as newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word,
that you may grow thereby.
Oftentimes it's a good idea to read the Bible with a dictionary at hand
because words like malice, deceit, hypocrisy, and envy tend to fly right past
our eyes without giving them much thought.
Here in 1Pet 2:1-3 certain toxic behaviors are categorized as junk food,
which is not the kind of nourishment one should be feeding a growing child;
as if they could even digest it. So then, believers who neglect to study the
Bible --and learn what is, and what is not, appropriate behavior for a
believer --are certain to end up stunting the spiritual growth of the new self
they obtained via their second birth as per Jesus' testimony at John 3:3-8.
An especially ugly behavior Peter listed is envy; which Webster's defines as:
painful, or resentful, awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another,
coupled with a desire to possess the same advantage. In other words, envy
is the root of rivalry which is one of the most destructive human passions
there is. Cain killed his brother Abel out of a spirit of rivalry.
"Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And
wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's
righteous." (1John 3:12)
It was a spirit of rivalry that led to The Lord's crucifixion.
"And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. Therefore,
when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them: Whom do you want
me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ? For he knew
that they had handed Him over because of envy." (Matt 27:16-18)
Webster's defines "rivalry" as: 1) to be in competition with and, 2) to strive
to equal or excel.
Envy not only breeds rivalry, but other toxins too like spite; which Webster's
defines as: petty ill will, malice, or hatred coupled with the disposition to
irritate, annoy, or thwart; which is defined as: to defeat the hopes and
aspirations of another. In other words, thwart's intent is to discourage
someone, to break their spirit and make them lose heat and/t lose respect
for themselves. Needless to say, a spiteful person is a person so bitter that
they're unable to feel pity, compassion, or sympathy; which is a bad thing
because pity, compassion, and sympathy are highly blessing-worthy.
"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." (Matt 5:7)
People prone to envy share a very common denominator: they simply must
be either equal to, or better than, others. It's that simple. And if they cannot
be equal to, or better than others, then nothing would make them happier
than to see those others failed, maimed, silenced, disfigured, dishonored,
disgraced, humiliated, handicapped for life and/or deceased.
Yes, envy is a very, very ugly beast: there's no love in envy, only hatred
mingled with malicious feelings and imaginations. Where's the Good
Samaritan in that? A cute fable. Where's turning the other cheek? Out of
vogue. Where's the golden rule? A cliché.
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