Numbers 11:29, “ But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them all!””
Ever felt like others might be jealous of you? Or maybe some are even jealous for you? Ah, the strivings of man.
I love Moses’ heart in this passage. His words are certainly in line with what God said about him in Numbers 12:3, “Now Moses was very humble—more humble than any other person on earth.”
Joshua had reported about two men who were prophesying and Joshua told Moses to make them stop. Wow. Jealousy can blind us.
Sometimes we can envy others for their success or feel like they are in our “territory”. Or vice versa. Not a fun feeling to be envied or to envy at all. In this verse above, Moses tells Joshua, son of Nun, not to be jealous for his sake. Some key truths we can remember when we are envious of someone else’s portion or worried that they might want to work in “our space”:
✅ There’s enough for everyone to have a piece of the pie in God’s kingdom.
✅Jealousy is not from God. Don’t feed it or listen to it.
✅Have a Kingdom mentality – root for others and enjoy the gifts that God has given to them.
✅Our gifts are not about us. We don’t deserve the glory – God does.
✅Be grateful for your portion and don’t crave your neighbor’s blessings. They won’t fit you. God knows what you need and what is best.
Guys, when the green monster comes out, ain’t nobody happy. There is such joy to be found with contentment in God’s plan and portion for our lives.
May God cause us all to flourish in our callings in Him. Serve Him! He is worthy! And the greatest joy is found in fulfilling His purpose for our lives! Don’t envy someone else’s portion – just be grateful that we get to serve Him at all and marvel at what God is doing in our lives and in the lives of others.
Denise, what a wonderful, much needed post. It is so easy for all of us, even as Believers in ministry, to be envious or jealous of others and the portion God has given them; or we’ve experienced the green eye of envy as others have been envious or jealous of us. Even those of us who have an “Abundance Mentality” can easily drift into having a “Scarcity Mindset”. Thanks for challenging us to keep God’s Kingdom first (and a “Kingdom Mindset” and to remember that it’s NOT about us (and our “little” kingdoms) but about God’s glory and the advancement of His much bigger Kingdom.
Thanks, Jeff! So easy to drift into godless mindsets. Thank God that He can reveal our mindset battles and help us to overcome!