Day 10 – Love Does Not Boast or Envy

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love” 1 John 4:7-8 (NKJV).

(a) The force and nature of love is the sentiment that love does not boast. The meaning of this expression is multifaceted. The Greek term variously rendered as boastful, vaunted, vainglorious, conceited, and braggart that appears nowhere else in the Bible and is also rare in ancient literature. There are several explanations regarding the significance of this important principle. Each sheds much light on the role of love in the Christian life. Perhaps the most obvious explanation of the idea that love does not boast is the understanding that those who truly reflect biblical love do not think too highly of themselves. They do not have an inflated sense of importance or consider themselves to be superior to others. They are neither conceited nor arrogant. Boastful, conceited, vainglorious people display a contempt, disregard, and scornfulness towards others. By contrast, those who choose biblical love treat others with concern, respect, and positive regard. Indeed, they esteem others better than themselves. The boastful are typically not useful or beneficial to others. Their focus is on verbally extolling their own perceived virtues and abilities rather than utilizing them to help others. They are both tumultuous and hypocritical. In other words, they talk the talk but fail to walk the walk. “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” 1 John 4:10-11 (NKJV).

Love does not envy. What does scripture mean by this statement? The same word translated in this context as “envy” is elsewhere rendered as: jealous, zealous, covet, and desire. The Bible uses the term in both a negative and positive sense. In 1 Corinthians 13:4, the negative connotation of envy is employed. It is depicted as a characteristic that is contrary to the nature of love. The phrase is translated “love is not jealous” or “love does not envy”. The Greek term for the verb “envy” or “jealous” means to have warmth of feeling for or against, to boil or burn with zeal, or to earnestly affect, covet or desire. These definitions illustrate the intensity of the emotional and physiological reaction that envy, or jealousy invokes. Envy is a powerful force that can control our thoughts, actions, and attitude, even against our better judgment and reasoning. It is an all-to-common experience for us imperfect human beings. However, it is in direct opposition to the commitment of true love and can cause much harm to our relationships. Envy (or jealousy/ covetousness) is to desire the attainments or advantages of another. In the negative sense, you either want what they have or wish they didn’t have it. Envy generally stems from insecurity, discontent, or dissatisfaction with oneself. It breeds ill-will towards others. “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him” 1 John 4:15-16 (NKJV).

So, when the Bible says that “love does not envy” it means that when you possess true love you will not be unhappy about, complain about, or wish to diminish or detract from the attainments or advantages of another. In fact, love produces just the opposite reaction. Envy is a resentful emotion that builds up when one wants what someone else has. Love delights in the welfare of others and rejoices with them in the favor they enjoy. It’s destructive. It serves no purpose but to tear down and breed bitterness and resentment. Love does not boast in itself. It is not seeking glory for itself.It separated people as it strives to destroy unity. It is no wonder that the first thing that love is not is envious. Envy is to burn with zeal and to be heated with hatred and anger. If we are honest, we all know this feeling all too well. Others have what we want, and it burns through us. It separates us from others, and it causes us to believe the lie that while God may really be for other people, He is not for us. The good news is that “Love does not envy.” It does not burn when we are ahead. It is for us. It enables us to be there for others. Love rejoices with us when we are rejoicing, and it weeps with us when we are weeping.Love lifts others up. Love makes a big deal out of the people around it. Love is not focused on itself but instead, it focuses on the strengths and accomplishments of others. Jesus does not envy, nor does He boast; rather He celebrates your victories. God has got so much good in store for you. Don’t let envy reside in your heart. Rejoice with those who are rejoicing even when they have something that you want. Trust that God knows what you want, and He knows what you need and He will take care of you. “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us” 1 John 4:17-19 (NKJV).