Jealousy is a tricky emotion.  Psychology Today has this to say about it.

Psychologytoday.com
“Jealousy is a complex emotion that encompasses feelings ranging from suspicion to rage to fear to humiliation. It strikes people of all ages, genders…and is most typically aroused when a person perceives a threat to a valued relationship from a third party. The threat may be real or imagined.”

Jealousy is not an innately evil emotion.  We are told in God’s Word that God Himself is a jealous God (Exodus 20:5).  In fact, this is so true that one passage tells us that Jealous is God’s name (Exodus 34:14).  Clearly, jealousy is not sinful all the time, but it most certainly can be.  This is why Paul adds it to the list of works of the flesh.

Galatians 5:19-21 (ESV)
¹⁹  Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, ²⁰  idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, ²¹  envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

We want to avoid jealousy of the negative kind.  It is often listed with other vices that are condemned by God (Romans 13:13; Galatians 5:20; 2 Corinthians 12:20; James 3:14-16).  This kind of jealousy is characterized by a spirit of rivalry and suspicion, often wreaking havoc on relationships in the church, in the home, or even the workplace.

Since jealousy always originates from a place of passion (the Greek word, zēlos, referring to some type of zeal, and meaning “to heat or boil”), when it is a negative emotion, it can produce a problematic rage.  Over the years, this has caused many people to act shamefully, belligerently accusing others of things for which they are not guilty due to unfounded suspicion.  This has ruined marriages, destroyed friendships, and weakened local churches.  This is not a characteristic of a Christian, and it is not the way love behaves.

In 1 Corinthians 13:4 Paul tells us that love is not envious (envy is emotion closely related to jealousy);  neither is it rude (ver. 5), something that a person almost always is when they act out of jealousy.  Furthermore, love bears all things, believes all things, and hopes all things (ver. 7).  This means that love gives others the benefit of the doubt and believes in people, especially when an unfounded accusation is made against them.  Does that sound like the way jealousy acts to you?  Jealousy is, in some ways, the opposite of love.  It does not give others the benefit of the doubt, but instead rashly accuses them.  Do you know who is called the accuser of brethren in scripture?  It is the devil (Revelation 12:10).

Those with a propensity for jealous usually become troublemakers, especially in the church, ruining the peace that helps make a local church strong.  Is that how you want to be known?  I would rather be a peacemaker, how about you?  

Matthew 5:9 (ESV)
⁹  “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.