Tag: Jealousy

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Can jealousy cause cancer?

Reading Time: 2 minutes

A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body; jealousy is like cancer in the bones.‭‭ Proverbs‬ ‭14‬:‭30‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Sure, the New Living Translation takes some liberty by using a shocking word like cancer. Cancer, of course, is a mysteriously, radical rebellion that starts within a cell of our own body! The Hebrew word isn’t cancer it’s, “raqab,” rottenness or decay. Which is morbidly more creepy.

Bone rot? Proverbs gives us a stark reality – envy or jealousy in our heart does real damage to our physical body! This overly passionate want, this zeal for more, or for what others have, is doing far more harm than just be a soul-sucking experience, it will cripple us!

The comparison to what the Hebrews considered to be a “marpe,” sound or healthy heart – which Bible translations choose to use the word, peaceful or tranquil heart GIVES health, GIVES life itself. A jealous heart gives this rottenness and decay to our body’s infrastructure. It’s a clear warning to not let envy drive the conscious moments of our thoughts lest we release death throughout our bodies!

Dismiss jealousy. Kick envy. Do not let these toxic emotions sit and fester in our heart. Seek God’s perspective. Seek wisdom. Seek contentment with what you have, not what you want or think you need. Stop looking for more – especially when comparing to what others have! God’s word has given us warning labels to help us avoid self-inflicted diseases!

I believe that cancer is the personification of sin within our own cells. I believe the bigger problem is when these rogue cells enlist other healthy cells to their rebellious cause and form an evil unity of cells we call tumors. But what if Proverbs is physically accurate to one of the causal effects of jealousy or anger, bitterness or hate. Could those secret, harbored thoughts and emotions trigger a single cell to turn and become a traitor within our body? I’m not a medical doctor nor a cytologist, but I wonder if it’s true. The point is, keep your heart sound. Nurture your thoughts towards Godly peace and stay clear of bone rot.

Prayer

​Dad,
Proverbs is filled with principles of wisdom and truly life-giving advice. And, it’s also filled with warnings and consequences that I absolutely believe are true. In all our human learning and understanding, there are still a myriad of mysteries about so many things. We know cancer kills, but no one knows how it begins. Maybe your word sheds some light on what really rots us from within? David, a chief sinner, when he repented asked for a pure heart. I ask for the same. Amen.

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A Sailor’s Life?

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.” ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I wonder if Peter had a sailor’s mouth, or a fisherman’s mouth at least. I know he was Jewish, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t struggle with the workman’s culture of talking up the weekend or the night out with the guys. Peter wasn’t always a saint.

Here in his letter to the Church he lays down the admonishment of better behavior now that Christ had redeemed their lives. He generalizes getting rid of all evil behavior, but then gets more specific. The general word, “kakia” is wickedness, better understood as an intentional desire to injure. Wow! Right? Proverbs talks a lot about intentional wickedness in a couple of Hebrew words for fool, the worst of the two is Nabal: an obsession to do wrong, causing pain to anyone and everyone. Peter encourages those to cold-turkey-quit several evil habits that are inappropriate for followers of Jesus. Eliminate deceit. The word “dolos,” baiting the naive, employing decoys to snare people, especially the innocent. Kick hypocrisy. The word, “hupokrisis,” someone acting under a mask. A theater term used to describe a performance by actors playing a part. If you’ve ever been around theater people you know that are able to quickly move in and out of roles, alternating their voice and persona to fit the part. In relationships, we want to be known for who we really are, and not some projection of a fake representation of ourselves. For jealousy, Peter uses the word, “phthonos,” or envy. A jealous envy that negatively “energizes” someone with an embittered mind, conveying “displeasure at another’s good.” Whoa, that one hurts! How often do I de-celebrate another’s success or accomplishment? Unkind speech is “katalalos,” a defamer. A person that slanders, employs back-biting, and tries to de-rail a person’s life!

Getting rid of these qualities just reminds me of the power of transformation and the character of Christ who creates this change in me. Given my nature and proclivity, I would likely be deceitful, possibly even hypocritical, envious and slanderous all just to get what I want! Wouldn’t that make sense if I didn’t live by a godly code of conduct? Maybe I get ahead, make more money or just get there faster than people around me. Believe it, that is a lot folks “truth.” I like how Peter tells us that getting rid of these qualities helps us grow into what he writes is the “full experience” of salvation! The word, “auksánō,” is to grow and it is key to authentic discipleship.

Prayer

Dad.
Do I lead a life of former thoughts, attitudes and behaviors? Not always. And, certainly not purposefully! Do I strive to lead the counter-life of Jesus? Do I yield more and more to the Holy Spirit allowing him to lead and guide me into this “full experience” of salvation as Peter says? I sure hope so. I often check and catch my thoughts just before they come out as behaviors (translated: WORDS). Should I be thinking this? Should I be a dualistic life? Should I be celebrating someone’s failure? These are the small decisions of detail that form who I becoming, right? I want to keep growing and maturing becoming like Jesus!