Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Hello, hello, you're
listening to the Jesse Morgan
(00:02):
Devotions for the ChristianHeart Podcast episode 72.
This week's devotional is titledWhen Jealousy Steals Your Joy,
Saul, David, and the Spirit ofComparison.
Let's go.
Hi, I'm Jesse Morgan.
I used to just share home decorand renovation tips on social
media, but now I'm sharingsomething even closer to my
heart.
My journey in love for JesusChrist, my savior.
(00:24):
Welcome to the Jesse MorganDevotions for the Christian Hawk
Podcast.
This is a weekly devotional Istarted back in May 2024, but
the inspiration for it came muchearlier.
It was rooted in a faith journeythat began when my daughter was
born four months early in 2023.
Through that challenging time,God worked in ways that truly
amazed me.
On this podcast, I sharepersonal stories of faith woven
(00:48):
together with Scripture to showjust how incredible God's word
can be in our everyday lives.
My hope is that through thesestories, you'll be encouraged,
uplifted, and reminded of God'slove and presence, no matter
what you're going through.
So I invite you to spend lessthan 15 minutes with me each
week as we reflect on thesedevotionals together.
(01:08):
Let's all pray within.
When jealousy steals your joy,Saul, David, and the Spirit of
Comparison.
Key passages, 1 Samuel 17, 55through chapter 18, 30.
Hey friends, welcome back toJesse Morgan Devotions for the
Christian Heart Podcast.
I'm so glad you're here todaybecause this week we're diving
(01:30):
into one of the most powerfulpivot points in the Bible, I
feel, the shift between Saul andDavid.
It's a story that shows whathappens when jealousy sneaks in,
when comparison takes over, andwhen we let insecurities guide
our hearts instead of God'sspirit.
And what's amazing is this storyis as relevant now as it was
(01:52):
thousands of years ago.
Whether it's in the workplace,our relationships, or even
scrolling social media, thissame battle still happens today.
So let's dig in.
So we're in 1 Samuel chapter 17and 18, right after David
defeats Goliath.
Now this was not just a battle,it was the turning point for
(02:13):
Israel.
David, this young shepherd boy,walks out with nothing but a
sling and faith and takes down agiant that terrified an entire
army.
So when Goliath fell, scripturesays the Philistines fled and
Israel chased them down.
It was a massive, undeniablevictory, and suddenly David's
name was on everybody's lips.
Saul, the king, was amazed, andhe asked, Whose son is this?
(02:37):
And when he found out David wasthe son of Jesse, he brought him
into his court.
And scripture says Saul neverlet him return home again.
At first, Saul loved David.
David became the commander ofhis army, he played the harp for
Saul.
When that tormenting spiritwould come upon him, he was
loyal, humble, brave, and he wasfavored by God.
(02:58):
But then something shifted.
After one of those greatvictories, or basically that
main victory after Goliath waskilled, the army was coming back
into the city, and the womencame out dancing and singing and
celebrating.
And they said, and they sang,Saul has slain his thousands and
David his tens of thousands.
And in that moment, jealousy wasborn.
(03:19):
You could almost feel Saul'sheart hardened from the words on
the page of the Bible.
Scripture says he kept a jealouseye on David from that day
forward.
It's incredible, isn't it?
Like one line, one moment ofcomparison, and suddenly a
relationship changes forever.
Saul's jealousy grew so deep, itconsumed him.
(03:42):
He began plotting to kill David,even though David had done
nothing wrong.
Every time David succeeded,God's Saul's envy just got
worse.
But here's what's wild Davidnever changed his his you know
his stance.
He kept serving Saul, he keptshowing up.
He even played music for thevery man trying to destroy him.
(04:03):
And as David's favor grew,Saul's peace disappeared because
God's spirit lifted from Sauland he tried to fill that
emphasis with control and beingjust king.
And that's what jealousy does.
It blinds you, it convinces youthat someone else's blessing is
somehow taking your own.
(04:25):
But God's favor isn't like aisn't just like a pie.
It's not limited.
He can bless both Saul andDavid.
But Saul couldn't see thatanymore.
His eyes were on David insteadof on God.
And honestly, we've all beenthere, haven't we?
Maybe not to Saul's level, butmoments where we saw someone
(04:47):
succeed, and instead ofcelebrating them, something in
us felt it felt small.
That's the same route.
That's how jealousy starts.
You know, I had my own Saul andDavid moment years ago when I
first started at Macy's.
I was a merchandise manager atthe Daydeland store, number two
(05:08):
in the company, still is.
I ran one half of the women'scollections floor, while the
other manager oversaw thecontemporary swim side of the
floor.
At first, she was kind.
Um, she trained me, she showedme the ropes, the one that was
on the other side, contemporaryswim.
But once I started finding myrhythm, getting good feedback,
(05:30):
things shifted.
I was becoming very good at thisjob, and it just felt like
things just changed.
One day I walked into my floorand realized she had taken two
fixtures and left my area emptywith clothes hanging over bars
and on the register.
It was just a mess.
When I asked her about it, shesaid, Oh, I needed them for swim
(05:50):
and she brushed me off.
And I then responded saying,Next time you need a fixture,
ask first, please.
From that moment, the wall wentup.
She grew cold, critical,dismissive.
She talked behind my back.
Anytime I received a compliment,she would come to me and try to
redirect me and criticize.
Fast forward to a few monthslater.
(06:11):
Um, she went in, she went onvacation, and right before
leaving, she sent me an email,CCing our boss, saying, Hey
Jess, I know you'll be coveringmy floor while I'm gone.
Just FYI.
Next week we have a hugecorporate visit from New York.
The buyers, regionals,everyone's coming.
I expect the floor to be perfectand the markdowns complete at
90% at least.
(06:33):
Thanks for your partnership.
So when I got that email, shenever told me she was going on
vacation.
I found out through an email.
Y'all, she left me with about3,000 markdown units and a
disaster of a floor.
And to make sure you understandwhat I meant by markdowns, I
(06:56):
mean the price of somethingbeing permanently marked down.
So we had to scan the item,print a ticket with the new
markdown price, and cover theold price, or you know, cover
the price tag with the newmarkdown price.
One by one.
When I walked into that swimsection, I was speechless.
(07:18):
It was dirty.
It wasn't just it wasn't dirtyper se, it was disorganized.
Let me just be clear.
It was not dirty, it wasdisorganized.
No rhyme, no reason.
Becca swim was mixed with CalvinKlein, Calvin Klein was mixed
with Rolf Lauren's swim, youname it.
One fixture was meant for allcover-ups, and and it had 30
(07:40):
random pieces from 10 differentbrands.
It was chaos.
Like, how could a customer shopthis?
The department manager, Ashley,I love you, shout out.
We still talk to this day.
Um, Ashley came over and said,Jess, I've tried my best, but
this but this side of thebusiness is rough.
Nothing's where it belongs.
It's really hard to recover.
(08:01):
So I called my ops manager forhelp.
She sent two people and we spentthe entire day from 8 a.m.
to 4:30 p.m.
marking down thousands of items.
I stayed until 6 that night,exhausted.
That's when our assistant opsmanager, Betty, came by and
said, You are still here?
And I said, Yes, there's so manymissed markdowns from weeks ago.
(08:23):
I gotta clean this up for thevisit.
Then she said to me, Jessica,you know, I gotta be honest.
She has been bad mouthing you toleadership for weeks, but
they're starting to see thetruth.
You're thriving, it's making heruncomfortable.
But I see your heart, you'redoing amazing.
And at that moment, that waslike God reminding me to keep
(08:45):
going.
The next three days, I gave thatfloor everything I had.
I came in at six every morning,remerchandized every single
section, denim by fit, BCBG bycolor, free people, swim
organized by brand and category.
My merchandise lead at the time,his name was Xavier, worked
beside me with so much heart,and he was amazing.
(09:06):
By Thursday afternoon, ourdistrict vice president, the big
boss, walked the floor, and shewas stunned.
She said, Jess, I've never seenthis floor look like this.
By Friday morning, the buyersfrom New York arrived, and their
reaction, total amazement.
(09:26):
They loved the floor.
They had so many ideas of whatthey were going to buy for the
next season and all that.
So good visit.
The markdowns were at 88%, not90.
So it wasn't perfect, buteverybody was thrilled.
The following week or the nextweek, that manager that was on
vacation came back, saw theresults.
(09:46):
Instead of thanking me, shecomplained that the markdowns
weren't 100%.
But leadership shut it downquickly.
They told her, you should bethankful Jess and Xavier made
your floor look fantasticbecause it was atrocious before.
She eventually thanked me dayslater, but her attitude never
changed.
For years afterwards, she kepttrying to undermine me.
(10:08):
And later on, she worked with myhusband and he saw it too.
So that's when it really likehit me.
Some people live in a soulspirit.
They can't celebrate othersbecause they see success as a
threat.
And here's what God taught methrough both David's story and
my own.
When someone around you iswinning, when they're having
(10:32):
their David moment, your jobisn't to compete.
Your job is to celebrate.
But if you let jealousy sit toolong, they'll start to whisper
to you, whisper those lies.
That's Satan speaking to you,saying, You're not enough.
You're being overlooked.
They don't deserve it.
And that's exactly what theenemy wants: to pull your focus
(10:53):
off of God's faithfulness andonto someone else's blessing.
But gratitude can kill jealousyat the root.
I really believe that.
And whenever I feel thatcomparison creeping in, that
frustration creeping in, youknow, I do this more now.
I stop and I say to myself,Lord, thank you.
Thank you for my home.
(11:13):
Thank you for my daughter.
Thank you for my health.
Thank you for my husband.
Thank you for my parents.
Thank you for my grandfatherstill living.
Thank you for the job you'vegiven me.
Thank you for the life you'veentrusted me with.
I praise your holy name, Lord.
Because God's favor is notlimited.
If he blessed David, he canbless you.
(11:34):
He could bless Saul if Saulwould just get himself together.
If he promoted, if God promotedsomeone else, he's still writing
your story too.
Everybody's paths are not thesame.
Everybody's blessings are notthe same.
Your blessings, your journey isin one direction and someone
else's in another.
You can't compare right to left.
(11:56):
So maybe today you've beendealing with jealousy.
Or maybe you've just been onthat receiving end of it.
Maybe you've been like David,just doing your best and
someone's trying to dim yourlight.
Or maybe you're, if you'rehonest, you've had some soul
moments, feeling like someoneelse's win is your loss.
I've been there.
Wherever you are, let this be areminder.
(12:18):
God's favor can't be stolen.
His plan for you hasn't changed.
Celebrate others, stay faithfulin your lane, and keep your eyes
on the one who anointed you foryour purpose in life.
Amen.
Let's pray.
Father God, thank you forreminding us today that
(12:40):
comparison is such a thief ofjoy.
Help us to guard our heartsagainst jealousy and instead to
celebrate those around us withlove and humility.
Teach us to trust your timing,your favor, and your plan for
our lives.
And when we feel overlooked,remind us, Lord, that you see
us, you know us, and you arepreparing us for something
(13:01):
greater.
Father, we love you and wepraise you in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Thank you so much for joining.
Till next time, we're going tocontinue First Samuel.
We're going to continue thatjourney of David and all the
trials and the struggles till hefinally becomes King of Israel.
And just if people didn'trealize it, you always think
about David with Bathsheba, butDavid and Mikhail, he had a
(13:24):
first wife, a wife that wassupposed to be his, and it
backfired.
So we'll be discussing that andmore next time.
God bless.
Well, that wraps up this week'sepisode.
My prayer is that thesedevotions bring you a little
closer to God each day.
If you felt encouraged, don'tkeep it to yourself.
Share this episode with a friendor loved one who could use the
(13:45):
same reminder.
Be sure to hit subscribe so younever miss a weekly message.
And if you like, leaving a kindreview means so much.
For more, check the show notesor connect with me on Instagram
or TikTok at JessieMorganFaith.
Until next time, this is JessieMorgan praying off.