Deuteronomy 4:24 may strike an astute reader as somewhat controversial, if not contradictory. How can our holy and perfect God be jealous?

We need to be cautious that we do not incur God's anger and inevitable scattering by worshipping Him in forms and patterns He has not commanded.

Rather than having an apathetic relationship toward God, we must ardently, earnestly, and fervently seek God in order to imitate His behavior in our lives.

The source of envy and covetousness is Satan the devil who coveted God's throne and proved himself as a murderer and liar from the very beginning.

It is easy to follow in Satan's footsteps, courting his daughter Envy, reaping the disquiet which accompanies her. Envy comes from pushing God from our thoughts.

Envy is a work of the flesh, involving coveting. A significant example of envy is found in the relationship of the two wives of Elkanah, Hannah and Peninnah.

We are admonished to internalize the book of Deuteronomy in preparation for our future leadership roles.

If we love another person, we like to think about him/her, to hear about him/her, please him/her, and we are jealous about his/her reputation and honor.

We must seek God as ardently as we would a physical love relationship, spending quality time with Him. If we make no effort, the relationship cools.

The Thyatira epistle carries a central theme for all seven churches, namely the tendency to syncretize or mix worldly ideas with the truth of God.

Solomon's statement that all of life is vanity is only true if one is not privy to God's ultimate purpose for mankind. Paul describes what God is doing.

Marriage prepares God's called-out ones to collectively become the bride of Christ. God hates divorce but allows it on grounds of adultery and violence.

God will do what He must to bring Abraham's seed to repentance and salvation, including allowing crisis, hardship, humiliation, and calamity.

The priest Eli is a tragic example of someone who began his tenure with energy, but coasted into complacency, eventually winking at flagrant sin in his sons.

In Revelation, John refers to Christ as the Lamb more than any other designation because of His role of Redeemer, which is different from a sin offering.

In his final act as judge of Israel, Samson toppled the pillars, killing more Philistines with his death than he had in his entire lifetime.

Christmas, Easter, and Halloween all derive from sex, fertility, and sun worship. Christmas traces to the incestuous relationship of Semiramis and Nimrod.