James 3:14,15,16

"But if you harbor bitter envy (jealousy) and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy (jealousy) and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every kind of evil practices."

Psalm 49:16,17

"Don't be overawed (or afraid) of a rich man because his house is more beautiful (or the splendor of his house increases); He won't take anything to the grave. His wealth won't die with him. He was praised when he was alive. (And people may praise you when you succeed.) But he will go where his ancestors are..."

The spirit of jealousy is a horrible spirit. It can kill!. I once raised bees and I know that if a honeybee drives its barbed stinger into my skin it becomes so imbedded that the only way the bee can remove it and escape is to leave the stinger behind. Of course, this causes the death of the bee. It receives such a wound that it cannot possibly recover.

Sometimes we sting others because they are a little bit better than we are. Being jealous of them, we not only leave the sting in those who happen to disagree with us, but the act brings about - what you might call - spiritual harm to ourselves. People observing this could come to the conclusion that we do not possess Jesus who came to give us a new life.

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