DCLM Daily Manna 16 December 2021
Topic: Envy Is Dangerous
TEXT: Matthew 12:22-37
KEY VERSE:
“But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.” – (Matthew 12:24 )
D.L. Moody once told the fable of an eagle who was envious of another that could fly better than he could. One day, the bird saw a sportsman with a bow and arrow and said to him; “I wish you would bring down that eagle up there”. The man said he would if he had some feathers for his arrow. So the jealous eagle pulled out one of his feathers. The arrow was shot but it did not quite reach the rival bird. The eagle pulled out another feather, then another, until he himself could not fly. The archer took advantage of his situation, turned around and killed the helpless bird.
From the text, Jesus healed someone who was possessed with a devil, blind and dumb. He both spoke and saw. The people, on seeing this, were amazed but the Pharisees were enraged. They allowed envy take the better part of them. They accused Jesus of casting out devils by the prince of devils. Jesus would not join issues with them. He spoke of God’s readiness to forgive all sins, but not the sin against the Holy Spirit because attributing the work of God to the prince of Satan was a grievous misdeed. He also warned against speaking idle words for which we shall give account on the day of judgment.
Envy is dangerous, especially in the church. We must learn to give praise to God when someone else is being used by Him to do more signs and wonders, and minister to the needs of the flock than us. When Satan comes into the church, he fills the heart of preachers with envy against their fellow ministers. This will result in various clandestine attempts to destroy the gifted and anointed minister through uncomplimentary reports and even witch-hunt. This would incur divine judgment.
We should avoid envy like a plague and pray that God gives us a heart of gratitude to appreciate those He chooses to use.
Read Kenneth Copeland Daily Devotional 16 December 2021 – Run Him Out of Town
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Envy self-destroys!
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Habakkuk 1-3
