Missed It By That Much!
The Book of Proverbs
Proverbs Chapter 27
Scripture= Proverbs Chapter 27:4 (The Message)
We're blasted by anger and swamped by rage, but who can survive jealousy?
Observations and Applications=
I don’t know if you are old enough to remember an old 60’s television spy show entitled ‘Get Smart’? Don Adams was the actor who played the main character whose name was Maxwell Smart. Maxwell Smarts trademark was the telephone he had in his shoe. One of Smarts’ famous lines was, “missed it by that much.” As he stated this line he would usually hold up two fingers close together to indicate his margin of error or really his ineptitude. He was totally and completely incompetent but somehow things always worked out for him. Life is somewhat different than this; sometimes it doesn’t require much to miss by a whole lot.
Consider this: If a missile is launched from a silo and is only one degree off from its intended target, what will happen to the missile? It will miss the target completely and can in fact be miles off course. Think of the casualties or as the military calls them the collateral damage. It could be horrific even though you could say, “missed it by that much!”
According to the Wikipedia Encyclopedia: “Jealousy is an emotion experienced by one who perceives that another person is giving something that s/he wants or feels is due to them (often attention, love, respect or affection) to an alternate.”
Think about jealousy it might be a small thing but it can skew an entire life and make someone miss everything.
· Marriages have been destroyed and children left parentless because of the smallest glance perceived through jealous eyes…“Missed it by that much!”
· Lifelong friendships have ended when conversations have been interpreted though jealous ears…“missed it by that much!”
· Success has been abandoned and careers dashed simply by the misinterpreted promotion extended to a perceived rival…“missed it by that much!”
· Reputations have been irreparably damaged and empires have fallen because of the misspoken words of a spiteful heart…“missed it by that much!”
· Intimacy with God has been forsaken and mistrust put in its place simply because we judged that God was extending favor to others and holding out on us… “missed it by that much!”
Solomon asks, “Who can survive jealousy?” The answer is obvious; no one can escape its damage. Jealousy might seem like such a little thing but it can cause us to miss the target by miles. And the problem with jealousy is that it always causes the innocent to suffer. Jealousy will always produce collateral damage in our lives! Are there any areas in your life where jealousy is causing you to miss what God has for you?
Prayer= Lord Jesus, examine my heart and expose any roots of jealousy that are growing in me. I don’t want to miss out on your favor because my life has been disabled because of jealousy. I want to be content with what you have given me. I want to receive and walk in your blessings for my life.
