THE JEALOUSY OF GOD

BIBLE PASSAGE:
Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he 
jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? 
(James 4:5)

MEDITATION:
Have you ever paused to think about what jealousy means?
Whenever someone is jealous of you, 
it means they have a desire to be like you.
When we see how jealousy affects their relationship with us,
it may not seem that they like anything about us, 
but for whatever reason, there are things about us 
they actually like and want to emulate in their own lives.

Jealousy also arises whenever we become aware that someone is
trying to steal something precious from us, such as our spouse.
It can develop whenever we see a child of ours becoming influenced by 
the ways of the world which is causing them to make bad decisions.
It almost sounds like there are ‘good’ and ‘bad’ jealousies, doesn’t it?

The scriptures tell us to avoid envy and jealousy 
so what does James mean in James 4:5?
When God is jealous, it means that He loves and cares about us.
Consequently, He is jealous whenever He 
detects anything trying to steal us away from Him.

God knows if we start developing an attitude that is replacing the goodness 
He instilled in us when we made a choice to trust Him with our lives.
This worldly attitude can cause us to be quickly driven toward a selfishness 
that is only concerned about pleasing ourselves instead of pleasing God.

It is an attitude that tries to justify sinful actions, and excuses 
things like fighting, quarreling, and conflict with other Christians.
The reason God is jealous of these worldly attitudes 
which are striving to dominate our thoughts and actions, 
is because He knows how they can damage us, and those around us.

It appears that James is telling us that God is jealous toward anything that
is trying to replace the Spirit He caused to live in those who belong to Him.
This is the same Spirit that Jesus promised He would send to those who 
believe in, and follow Him, which means James is speaking to Christians.

Whenever God sees outside influences that are trying to destroy 
our trust in Him and creating a gap in our relationship with Him, 
it grieves Him and makes Him jealous of the these forces of evil.
Of course, it is not a jealousy that indicates He wants to be like anything
or anyone else, but a jealousy of any efforts to cause us harm.

Because God loves us and doesn’t want us to lose the goodness 
of the Spirit He has caused to dwell in us, He gives us a counteroffensive 
that will help us defend against those outside influences 
which are trying to damage us and our fellowship with Him.
But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: 
“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” (James 4:6)

God knows that the more humble we are, the less we are susceptible 
to being dragged away by these destructive influences.
James tells us earlier about the dangers of failing to guard 
our minds from being infiltrated by ungodly thoughts and attitudes.
but each person is tempted when they are dragged away 
by their own evil desire and enticed. (James 1:14)

ACTION:
Is there anything greater than knowing how much we are loved by God 
and how much He resents anything that can weaken our relationship with Him?
We can see how these influences continue impacting Christians more each day.
Instead of being thankful for the God who created and loves us, many are 
allowing other things to prevent them from nourishing their fellowship with Him.
We know this is true when we observe the continued decline in those 
attending His house to worship and praise Him with other believers.  

Think about this, if Christians are not showing 
a commitment of faith for the lost to see, then why would they 
have a desire to go to church and get to know the Lord?
If our lives fail to encourage the lost to visit churches, 
then all we can expect to attend are a few committed Christians.
And when those who faithfully attend have passed away, 
the church will be no more (which is happening at an alarming rate today).

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me so much that You are 
jealous of anything that tries to destroy me and my relationship 
with You. Help me to become increasingly humble so that I can better 
defend against the attacks on my mind, and so that Your Spirit can
flourish in my life. Thank You for giving me more grace as a reminder 
that You are always with me as my Godly Father and Defender!”

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