When an American talks about the first family, they are usually referring the president and their family. However, the Bible also has a first family. Adam and Eve gave birth to Cain and Abel. Everything was perfect until Adam and Eve broke God’s only rule. Following their expulsion from the Garden of Eden, a curse was unleashed. Subsequently, the human flesh was inflected with envy.
If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it,” Genesis 4:7.
When life as a farmer hit a snag, Cain struggled to provide for his family. This lack of production influenced Cain to cut back on his first fruit offering. In the meantime, his kid brother Abel decided to become a shepherd. Based upon the early portion of chapter 4, Abel gave the first portion of his profits to the Lord. This offering pleased God, but conceived envy within the heart of Cain. This is the beginning of how envy rots the bones.
A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones, Proverbs 14:30.
Envy is like a double edged sword. On one side envy is self-seeking, wishing you possessed what others have. All the while, this same sinful nature is causing individuals to disconnect from God. Unless this desire is cut off, envy will continue to cut to heart, poison souls and rot human bones. For those of you caught up by this spiritual disease, start by implementing the words of Colossians 3:4-7. From here, confess, pray and enter into accountability relationships to rid yourself of any ill-effects of this addictive nature.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 