Hosanna Restoration Church

Isn’t it interesting that God tells us that He is a jealous God and that He is love; Then He tells us that love is not jealous? If that is the case, then there must be good and bad jealousy. God is jealous concerning our devotion to Him. This is because He knows that He is the best one for us and that faithfulness to Him will give us life. It is the jealousy that causes people to be hostile toward others or suspicious of others that we must guard against. God encourages us to desire the best for others and to be blessed when they are blessed. We need not be resentful of what others have. If we are, then in a sense, we are ungrateful for what we have. We are saying to God that we think He treated us unfairly because someone else has something we don’t. Whether it is possessions or talents or any other thing, don’t be jealous. We can’t be patient or kind if we are caught up in jealousy. Love is like an engine, for it to run smoothly it needs to be hitting on all the cylinders.

For instance, a person might be going along pretty good being patient and kind, and they might be so blessed that they have even overcome jealousy, and then pride jumps up and they find themselves boasting about how well they are doing. Like the religious guy who prayed and said he was glad that he was not weak like those other sinners. Oh, we must remember to be humble in our gratitude. After all, it is by grace that we are saved. Jesus reminds us to bear with those who may be weaker in their faith and even more so with those outside the faith. For years I have said that we cannot expect the unsaved to act saved. It is sad when people who do not have a relationship with Jesus show more love that those who do know Jesus.

One of the definitions of rude in the dictionary is a lack of training or skill. Love takes practice. Manners are part of love. They have to be worked on. As parents we start with our children teaching them to say please, thank you, excuse me, and etc. We don’t want our children crowding in front of people. We want them to look like they have received some instruction as they grew up. Unfortunately, not everyone was brought up the same and some may not even know they are rude. Therefore, what may seem rude to one person could be normal behavior to another. This is where love comes to the rescue, because Jesus said that we should prefer one another. If I want to bless you and you want to bless me, then we will not be rude. We must be teachable.

Boasting is rude. Pride is rude. To be boastful and proud is rude. Sometimes when a person is jealous of what someone else has or does, their reaction is to be rude to the other person, or to say bad things about them. Other times when people are jealous, their feeling of inferiority may manifest itself in boasting about themselves. It all becomes a vicious circle that just causes pain. But love is greater than all these things. I need to work on it. How about you! The greatest gift we can give God is to love.