February 3 - Love is Not Jealous

I Corinthians 13:4, "Charity (love) envieth not;"

Martha Peace who wrote The Excellent Wife describes jealousy as "fear of being displaced by another person or thing."  She has more of the perspective that love not being envious means not resenting when your loved one has other interests that you don't share.  Around here, I guess I could relate that to all my friends whose husbands go hunting.  They should not envy that time the men spend out in the woods ... Granted that is easy for me to say because my husband doesn't hunt.  But I have found myself jealous of his job or jealous of the time he invests in others due to the ministry that takes him away from me.

Matthew Henry in his commentary says:  "[Love] is not grieved at the good of others.  Envy is the effect of ill-will.  The mind which is bent on doing good to all can never wish ill to any."  To me, that means I am not to envy (be jealous of) another's success or possessions.  In fact, instead, I am to be happy for them.  Easier said than done sometimes. 

TOMORROW:  Love does not brag.