Missionary Jealousy

     If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.

     But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.


It's sometimes hard to stay the course in doing mission work. We're tempted to begin building a name for ourselves rather than humbly serving God in whatever capacity he calls us to. There is a lot of pressure to be successful in man's eyes so that we can gain the support and approval of man. Yet out of the other side of our mouths we lament that more could be done for the cause of Christ if no one cared who got the credit. We compare the fruit of ministries to the point that men are tempted to boast, lie, or misrepresent the truth so that we are exalted above others who are working. We are tempted to try to hang on to our support rather than realizing that if God called us to the work, he can provide for the work.


The Bible tells us that if we operate out of bitter jealousy or selfish ambition good is not produced. It's not godly wisdom; in fact he says it is from the devil. I don't want what I'm involved in to be characterized by disorder and evil. On the other hand, if we can serve free from jealousy and selfish ambition, it is through godly wisdom. This type of wisdom is pure, peace loving, gentle, willing to yield to others, mercy, full of good deeds, sincere, and treats all people the same. It also says that if we are peacemakers we will plant seeds of peace and will reap a harvest of righteousness.



Although we may be tempted to try to cover for God while we wait for him to give the increase, we should remember God doesn't need us to cover for him; he is quite able to do his work. We don't need to cover for him because he's not going to fail. Our work is not about building Rusty & Susan's personal kingdom, but it is about spreading the gospel and making disciples--doing whatever he asks us to do. He's very interested in who we are as people--being vs. doing. God will give the increase, and the greater work our disciples do the greater the impact on the kingdom. In our flesh we are more interested in being able to assign our own name to an aspect of the work than the advancement of God's kingdom. We want someone to say look at what _________ has done rather than look at what God has done.


I pray that everyday I will have the heart that earnestly seeks to do whatever God wants me to do whether anyone ever knows my name or not. I pray that I will not get so worried about my personal kingdom that I'm anything less than truthful. I pray that money will be less important to me than seeking the pleasure of God. The world would have us be sidetracked by looking toward anyone else other than Jesus. Let me set my eyes on Jesus.