What the Bible says about envy? – Part 1

Commands against envy

Psalms 37:1

1 Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong;

2 for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.

3 Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:

6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Proverbs 3:31

Do not envy a violent man or choose any of his ways,

Proverbs 24:1

Do not envy wicked men; do not desire their company;

1 Peter 2:1

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.

What Friends Do

 “A friend loves you all the time.”  Proverbs 17:17

One gets the impression that to John, Jesus was above all a loyal companion.  Messiah?  Yes.  Son of God?  Indeed.  Miracle worker?  That, too.  But more than anything Jesus was a pal.  Someone you could go camping with or bowling with or count the stars with…

Now what do you do with a friend?  (Well, that’s rather simple too.)  You stick by him.

Maybe that is why John is the only one of the twelve who was at the cross.  He came to say good-bye.  By his own admission he hadn’t quite put the pieces together yet.  But that didn’t really matter.  As far as he was concerned, his closest friend was in trouble and he came to help.

“Can you take care of my mother?”

Of course.  That’s what friends are for. – Max Lucado