Love does not envy

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7

This is the third post in a series on recognizing true love - love that has God as its source and sustainer. I am using 1 Corinthians 13 as my main source but I share one or two additional Scriptural references which will help us to understand just what the text is saying. As always, I include the caveat that many actions may have the appearance of love, but nothing of the Spirit of God or His pattern. This makes it important for us to use His word as our standard and not that of the culture, media or popular opinion. If you missed the first two installments, you can read them before continuing:
1st - Love is patient
2nd - Love is kind

Love does not envy

Envy is the desire to have something that someone else has, and which also often involves feelings of spite and resentment. It starts unseen in the heart and can create some of the greatest obvious evils as it grows and festers. Envy is rooted in selfishness and lust - whether of the flesh, eyes, or pride of life (desire for possessions or reputation).

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
1 John 2:15-17

The envious heart places worldly things above God, and is not content or grateful. It grows increasingly self-centered and darkened and will not usually make its requests to God nor submit to His will. Even if some request is made, it is based on wrong motives which God will not honor.

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
James 4:1-3, ESV

Scripture makes it abundantly clear that envy is a work of the flesh and of the old (carnal, unregenerate) nature of a person (e.g. see Romans 1:29; Galatians 5:20-21, 26; Titus 3:3; 1 Peter 2:1). It often appears listed with things such as deceit, malice, slander and hypocrisy, and even murder. Envy was the driving force behind the religious leaders' zeal to put the Lord Jesus to death - not primarily their outrage at what they perceived to be blasphemy against God (Matthew 27:18). Similarly, when the Apostle Paul was opposed by the Jews, it was because they envied the crowds which his preaching drew - their response was to blaspheme and to spitefully contradict him (Acts 13:45). And let's not forget jealous king Saul who we read about in 1 Samuel. He became a madman in his latter years because of an envious obsession and fear that David would take his place. Saul could not even see clearly to consider that God's word concerning David would come to pass by God's own doing and there was nothing he could do about it. His attempts to murder David simply sealed his own fate and heaped up judgment on himself.

The matter of envy is such that, in this case, God chose to describe for us what love does, by actually telling us what it does not do. Perhaps this method leaves no room for ambiguity. Envy has torn apart close friends, ruined reputations, destroyed marriages, poisoned siblings against one another, and has been the motive for many cases of adultery and murders. One only needs to watch the numerous movies and docudramas based on real people and their tragic stories to see that an envious heart is capable of any other evil thing.

For where envy and self seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.
James 3:16

Anything at all can be the object of someone's envy. From physical possessions, beauty, intelligence, money, fame, charisma, a relationship or person, to even spiritual giftedness or perceived intimacy with God. We always need to monitor our heart by checking our responses to the good fortune of others. If there is even the slightest twinge when someone else gets ahead or has possession of something we want, it is critical that we stop and make an honest examination. We must do this by comparing our actions, attitudes and feelings to the standards of the word of God, prayerfully asking God to search us, and making any necessary confession or repentance.

Envy is opposed to the very nature of love, which sets others above itself, supremely desires the good of the other person, and is willing to sacrifice for someone without hope of personal gain. Love will bring its request or desire before God, while being grateful for all present blessings. Love will help someone else to achieve or safeguard their own blessing. Love trusts in God's goodness and justice, and puts its eyes on Him without resorting to evil and carnal tactics to get ahead or achieve even necessary or valid goals. Love does not envy.