Envy And The Bible’s Secret to Contentment

What is envy? More importantly, how can we stop envy from stealing our happiness?

Recently, I wrote about the difference between envy and jealousy. While we sometimes use the words interchangeably, there is a difference between jealousy and envy. 

The difference: Jealousy is wanting to protect what you have. Envy is wanting what someone has.

If you want to learn more about jealousy, you can read about it here. But today, I want to explore envy, a subtle sickness that rots our souls.

Envy IS Everywhere

The word for Envy in Greek is phthonos (φθόνος). It comes from a similar root as the Greek word for eye, ophthalmos (ὀφθαλμός)—think of an ophthalmologist, an eye doctor. So envy is a disorder linked to the eyes. We are often envious because we see what someone else has. 

While jealousy is a major problem, envy is probably one of the greatest temptations for people in the United States today. 

We are bombarded every day with advertisements, commercials, social media influencers, and more all telling us about things that we do not have but that we absolutely need. In fact, you are missing out if you don’t have the latest and greatest new phone, car, kitchen appliance, style of clothes, or whatever. Ads incite envy.

The problem has only grown over the years. We have a common phrase that people were “Keeping up with the Joneses” Which meant that they were trying too hard to keep up with their neighbors. The neighbor got a new car, so they wanted one. The Joneses went on a nice vacation, so they had to do the same. Out of envy, you try to keep up with the people you perceive as being successful so that you can believe that your life is just as good, if not better. And many people are miserable because of it.

The phrase “Keeping up with the Joneses” became popular from a newspaper cartoon column of the same name in started in 1913. But today, it’s more than just our neighbors. With the internet and everyone having a phone, it’s no longer keeping up with the Joneses. It has changed to keeping up with the Kardashians, one of the wealthiest families in the world. And their lifestyle and way of living has become the new goal and ideal for many people because that’s what they see on their screen, it’s what they envy, because it makes our reality look dull. Even though most reality TV and online influencers show anything but reality, it still incites envy.

Studies have proven that the more people are on social media, the more they are miserable. Why? A lot of it has to do with envy. You see what someone else has, and you want it. Everyone is only posting their highlights. So you see them on the dream vacation, and wonder if you could ever afford to do that. You see them looking picture-perfect all the time, and you wish you looked like them. They’re posting about the new car, new house, new boat, new kid… whatever. It’s envy, envy, envy. And it’s making us sick.

We see all the things in the world that we do not have, and we begin to desire them. We fall into the ancient trap of believing that our lack of something makes our life less fulfilling—less meaningful. If only we could possess that thing, then we could be complete.

Envy is a terrible sickness in our world. It’s a sickness that none of us are immune to. It makes us sick to the point where all we can think about is the thing that we want. That thing that we don’t have. That thing that we need more than anything else. And we turn green with envy.

That phrase “Green with envy” is a funny one, isn’t it? Why is envy green and not yellow or purple? 

It was popularized by Shakespeare in Othello, writing that jealousy and envy was like a green-eyed monster. But before that it came from a Greek thought that people who were envious turned green because they had too much bile (in other words, a sickness in their stomach). So envy was equated with green because it was a sickness.

Envy being a sickness, however, was not a new thought. Envy was described like a cancer all the way back in biblical times. 

Envy is Like a Cancer

Proverbs 14:30 says, “A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot” (ESV).

The more you fall into the trap of envy, the more you believe the lie that you will never be satisfied until you obtain what you desire. And it will rot your bones. It will eat you alive from the inside.

How many people have allowed the deceitfulness of riches and the cares of the world to led them astray? More than we could count.

But why is this a lie? Because nothing in the world will ever satisfy the longing of your soul. It might for a moment, but soon enough you’ll start to crave something else. It’s a lot like eating a huge meal. Have you ever ate so much that it hurt? And what do many of us say after that? “I’m never eating again!” And maybe you keep your promise that night, and maybe you aren’t even so hungry in the morning. But it’s not too long before your belly begins to rumble, and you find yourself in search of another meal to satisfy your appetite.

And that is envy. It’s a desire that you want to fulfill. You see something that you want, and you feel like you won’t be satisfied until you get it.

Envy is constantly listed as a sin in the Bible.

For example, Jesus said in Mark 7:20-23, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

You can make a good argument that envy is what led to the first murder. Cain kills his brother Abel because he is envious that God is more pleased with Abel’s sacrifice than Cain’s. 

Envy is a constant theme in one of the founding families of our faith: The twin brothers Jacob and Esau had a huge rift because Jacob was envious of Esau’s status and favor in his father Isaac’s eyes as the firstborn son. So Jacob tricks Isaac into giving him the firstborn blessing and then has to flee because Esau might kill him for it. 

Later, Jacob accidentally marries two sisters, Rachel and Leah. He loved Rachel but was tricked into marrying her sister without knowing it. How does that even happen? And Rachel and Leah have bitter envy toward one another. Leah is envious because Jacob loves Rachel, not her. And Rachel is envious because she struggles with fertility, while Leah keeps popping out baby boys. 

Genesis 30:1 says, “When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister. She said to Jacob, ‘Give me children, or I shall die!’”

That’s what envy can feel like. Doesn’t it? If I don’t have that, I will die.

It’s a whole mess that leads Jacob to have 12 sons with four women, because Rachel and Leah each encourage their servants to be surrogate mothers so they can have more sons. And ultimately, Rachel gives birth to Joseph and then dies while giving birth to her second son, Benjamin.

So, their entire lives are a sibling rivalry over who can have the most sons and be the most loved and honored wife. It’s sad, really, and in the end, it is literally Rachel’s death.

And this generational sin of envy doesn’t end here. The twelve sons who become the twelve tribes of Israel don’t learn a lesson from their mothers either. Since Jacob loved Rachel the most, Joseph is Jacob’s favorite son, and given special treatment. So his brothers throw him in a well and sell him into slavery. Envy is a common thread throughout this family.

Envy is ugly and will make you miserable. Envy often leads to coveting, which is another one of the sins that Jesus listed. 

Coveting is like taking envy one step further. 

Envy is wanting what another has.

Coveting is wanting to take what another has.

Sinful jealousy, envy, and coveting are all misplaced desires. You are looking for something outside of yourself to satisfy the depths of your soul. And it’s all a lie. 

Jesus said in Luke 12:15, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 

Your life is more than possessions. You know that. I know that. But we don’t always live like that. I know plenty people who trade most of their lives working multiple jobs just so they can drive a really nice car they can’t afford. 

But envy and coveting come after us in subtle ways.

My wife and I used to love watching the show Fixer Upper on HGTVwith Chip and Joanna Gains. If you’ve never seen it, Chip and Joanna would help people buy old, often gross, houses and then do an incredible transformation remodel to turn it into the couple’s dream home.

But I noticed a problem after we watched the show for a long time. Every time I looked at the beautiful houses they remodeled, I would look at my house with dissatisfaction. My walls aren’t shiplap. My yard isn’t as big as theirs. I don’t have that beautiful kitchen backsplash. 

I was envious of these other houses, and it left me sad—like my life was broken and needed to be fixed up too. It left me feeling discontent and ungrateful for the wonderful home that my wife and I had built together.

So I talked to my wife about it, and we quit watching. It’s no disrespect to the show or anything. I just realized that by feeding my mind with image after image of pristine newly remodeled houses, I was comparing it to my house, and the envy was causing me to feel dissatisfied and lacking. And we have enough of that in our lives without adding more to it.

So if we are infected with envy, how do we cure this cancer? The good news is that it’s not rocket science. Envy is a curable disease. But just because the cure is simple, doesn’t meant mean it is easy.

Contentment Is The Cure for Envy

The cure for envy is contentment. 

Envy is wanting what someone has.

But Contentment is satisfaction in what you have. As a Christian, I would take this a step further and say that true Contentment is satisfaction in what God has given you.

In the 1600’s, a Puritan pastor in England named Jeremiah Burroughs wrote a book called The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment that became a Christian classic. He defines contentment as: “Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God’s wise and fatherly disposal in every condition.”¹

Everything we have is a gift from God. The breath in our lungs, the life in our body, the food on our tables, and everything in all of creation, it is all a good gift from our Heavenly Father. There is not a single thing in this world that you can claim that you achieved all on your own, because it all ultimately comes from God. 

So the secret to contentment is to find full satisfaction in God. Your soul rests and freely and joyfully submits to God regardless of the circumstance. And no matter what happens in life, you find your rest and joy in the Lord. 

This is what Paul wrote about in 1 Timothy 6:

“But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.… As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life” (1 Tim 6:6-10, 17-19).

If you think possessions are the goal, I have news for you: you can’t take any of it with you. We are merely travelers passing through this life. 

Envy, Jealousy, and Coveting are all desires we have. And they are all fully and finally satisfied by contentment in Christ. 

So just be content. But you might be thinking right now, “Well, thanks, Pastor. But that’s easier said than done. How can I be content? Have you heard my story? Do you know my situation? I cannot control my desires. The heart wants what the heart wants. How could I simply change?”

You can’t. But God can. God saves from envy. Through the work of the Spirit of God in a life submitted to him, he will change you and transform your heart to find contentment in him. 

Look at what Paul writes in Philippians 4:11-13: “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Verse 13 is taken out of context way too much in Christian culture. I can do all things through Christ. Paul means that he can be content in all things through Christ, because Jesus is his strength. So whether he is high or low, well-fed or hungry, even if Paul has nothing, he still has everything because Christ is all he needs.

So here’s the bottom line: Envy is a cancer, and the only cure is contentment in Christ.

Three Paradoxes of Contentment

I have a confession to make: It’s so easy to envy, even for a pastor like me. I know, shocking, right? I cannot tell you the number of times that I have looked at another pastor with envy. They have a larger church, a bigger online minisery. They have published more books. They are making a bigger impact for Christ than me… Or, to be real, early in my years of ministry I was barely making any money. Churches paid nothing for a young 20-something right out of college, even though I had a wife and child to support. So I found myself going to houses of people in the church who had a lot of money… and envy hit me hard. Should I quit ministry and go into business? I’m a smart guy, I could make way more money doing other things. It took a lot of soul searching and refocusing my eyes on Christ to continue through a lot of hard and lean years. So I’m preaching this to myself.

As Jeremiah Burroughs put it, Christian contentment is like a rare jewel. So, what does Finding the Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment mean for you? 

Here are three paradoxes of contentment that will be helpful for you. 

1. CONTENTMENT IS NOT FOUND IN GETTING YOUR DESIRES, BUT CHANGING YOUR DESIRES.

Christian contentment is about your will and desires being conformed into God’s will and desires. 

It is more than begrudgingly submitting to God’s will. But going even further in that whatever God’s will is, that is also your will. 

Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

submit to God’s will and his will becomes your will, then you will be content because your desires will match God’s and he will give you what you desire

As I said earlier, we are so deceived into thinking that contentment is about adding more to what we have. But true contentment is not about adding more stuff. It’s about gaining the ultimate treasure of Christ! 

Contentment is a greater desire. It’s not just wanting less, it’s wanting even more. Contentment is a greater desire. It’s not just desiring less, but dropping lesser desires. The greater desire is for God himself. There is no higher or greater desire than him. 

Contentment is often found in subtraction more than addition. Removing your old self, getting rid of sinful desires, and getting to the heart of who God is and created you to be. 

2. CONTENTMENT SEES GOOD IN EVIL.

In the book I mentioned earlier, Jeremiah Burroughs writes, “A contented heart looks to God’s disposal, and submits to God’s disposal, that is, he sees the wisdom of God in everything. In his submission he sees his sovereignty, but what makes him take pleasure is God’s wisdom. The Lord knows how to order things better than I. The Lord sees further than I do; I only see things at present but the Lord sees a great while from now. And how do I know but that had it not been for this affliction, I should have been undone.”²

Even in the midst of your greatest hardship, true contentment is like Paul who is able to say that I am content when I have plenty and when I have nothing. I am content in sickness and health. I am content in poverty or riches. Because even if I have nothing to my name but the shirt on my back, I have an abundance of spiritual riches that make the cares of this world pale in comparison. 

Christ is the greatest treasure. I am secure in him. He will provide me with what I need. What more could I want?

3. CONTENTMENT FOCUSES ON THE DAY OVER THE IDEAL. 

Contentment focuses on your present duties over future ideals. When you are constantly focused on some future, idealistic picture of what you wish your life would be, you quickly become discontent with your present reality. 

This doesn’t mean that you give up hoping for a brighter tomorrow. It doesn’t mean that you don’t pray for God to help aid or increase your situation. It means that you trust God to provide and guide while you busy yourself being present in the moment, going about the work that he has called you to today. 

Ask: What does God require of me in this situation?

And no matter what tomorrow brings, you are still content in Christ. 

Envy is a cancer, and the only cure is contentment in Christ.

Where is envy coming after you?

Is it when you are looking at something, watching something, allowing yourself to endlessly shop for things online that might fulfill your life…. What is it and when does it come for you?

Nothing in this world will satisfy as fully and finally as Christ does. So stop looking at all the things you don’t have. Stop coveting your neighbor. Stop envying people online who look like they have it all. That is a path to envious cancer, rotting your bones and subjecting you to become a slave to your desires. 

Get your eyes off the world and onto Christ. Focus on God. Delight in him. He alone will give you rest for your soul and true contentment, where nothing in the world can steal your hope, peace, and joy because you are content in Christ who has overcome the world.

If you have Christ, though you have nothing else, you have everything. 

Envy is a cancer, and the only cure is contentment in Christ.

1. Jeremiah Burroughs, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, Puritan Paperbacks, 4. ↩︎
2. Burroughs, Christian Contentment, 24. ↩︎