by Dennis and Barbara Rainey

Matthew 20:13
Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius?

Do you ever struggle with envy? Envy can germinate in our souls when we decide to plant the seeds of comparison. It all starts with a prolonged look at what someone else has achieved or received. We compare what we know we have with what others appear to have. Generally, we can find a way to compare ourselves unfavorably with others. Envy has now taken root.

Jesus taught a parable about envy in Matthew 20:1-16. A landowner hired laborers for his vineyard early in the morning for a fair day's wage. Throughout the morning and even into the afternoon he hired more workers, promising to pay them "whatever is right" (v. 4). They agreed to his terms and went to work.

Later that evening he paid each laborer the same wage, regardless of how long they had worked. Predictably, those who had worked diligently in the scorching heat all day compared and grumbled, "That's not fair!" But the vineyard owner reminded them that they had agreed to work for what he had stipulated, and the money was his to do with as he pleased.

We become just like the "grumblers" when our limited perspective leads us to compare what we think we deserve with what others appear to get. The invariable result is envy.

We live in the "culture of comparison." Everyone has their rights-their entitlements. A Christian should avoid comparison at all costs. Don't plant the seed. Instead we must learn what the employees did on that hot day. Our heavenly Master is just and good in all His judgments. And because He can be trusted, we can learn to be content in circumstances that by all outward appearances seem downright unfair.

Ultimately the choice for each of us is whether or not we truly believe that God is in control.

Prayer:

Ask God to help you realize when you are being tempted to compare and become envious. Pray for your spouse and yourself that you will learn to be content in all circumstances.

Discuss: How do you struggle with comparison and envy? Is there a way that Jesus' parable applies to you today?

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