• Good Jealousy

  Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Oct 19, 2009 (message contributor)

  based on 1 rating   (rate this sermon illustration)

   | 2,967 views

  Scripture:  None

  Tags:  Jealousy

  Denomination: Independent/Bible

GOOD JEALOUSY

Dennis De Haan illustrates:

Shep, the newest member of our family, is a young Shetland sheepdog who openly displays his jealousy when I kiss my wife. He doesn’t snarl or bite, but in the language of barking he seems to be saying, "Hey, Master, you belong to me!" His jealousy gives me a good feeling. After all, don’t we all like someone to care that much about us?

There’s another kind of jealousy— a righteous jealousy—at work in the life of every Christian. It’s not the yearning of a subject for his master, like that of my dog Shep, but of the Master for His subject. Someone has rephrased James 4:5-6 to read, "Do you think that Scripture says without reason that the Holy Spirit, whom God caused to live in us, jealously wants us exclusively to Himself in order to pour out His grace on us generously?" (Our Daily Bread)