Most people struggle with envy, Christians included. We want the things we don’t have and we want more of what we already possess. There never seems to be enough. Somewhere deep inside of us, we believe that if we had more money, more possessions and more adventures, we would be happy and content.
We wouldn’t.
The wisdom of the world tells us that we need to work harder and get more stuff to satisfy our desires. Most people believe that envy is a matter of unmet desires. Meet those desires, and envy will disappear. In truth, envy is not a matter of unmet desires, but rather misplaced desires.
Do you struggle with envy? Are you covetous? Do you want healing and freedom from this? Paul tells us in Philippians 4:12 that he found contentment in all things. How is it possible that, in times of famine and in times of feast, Paul was content in all things? The answer to this mystery is simple: Paul chose to find contentment in all things. His desires were properly placed. He did not set his desires on the things that this world offered. Paul placed his desires on eternal matters. Even today, the solution for envy is clear. Place your desires on things that are eternal and envy will disappear.