Peter, seeing [John], said to Jesus, "But Lord, what about this man?" —John 21:21    

In his book The Unchained Soul, Calvin Miller describes his own struggle with envy and pride. When he was pastoring, he and another church member listed their houses for sale at about the same time. It took Miller's house a year to sell, while the other house sold in 3 days.

When people asked the other man why his house sold so quickly, he always replied, "I just put that house in the hands of God, and the Lord sold it in 3 days." Miller confessed that every time he heard the man say that, he said to God, "Hey, God, what have You got against me?" He admitted to reacting defensively to this man's boast about his 3-day sale. Miller would remind God of the depth of his own spirituality, compared with the shallowness of the other man's. After all, he had held countless Bible studies in his home and led many people to the Lord, while the other man had done neither.

Any one of us can be selfishly interested in the way God is blessing someone else's life, while at the same time ignoring our own responsibilities. Envy and anger can at times be the result. When the apostle Peter became curious about John's future, Jesus said that it was none of Peter's business. He told him, "You follow Me" (John 21:21-22). May we learn from Peter's experience and keep our eyes on Christ.

-DCE

A plan for you and a plan for me—
This is God's choice—so let us see
That we must strive to do His will
And in our lives His plan fulfill.

-Fitzhugh

It's hard to follow Christ closely if your eyes are focused on those around you.