Sunday, January 29, 2017

Are you comparing your life to others? Don’t you know God loves you equally and wants great things for you as well?

2 Corinthians 10:12

Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.

Compared to Whom?

If we are comparing ourselves to others, which I have surely done, we quickly find out that we often fall short. But the thing is, the God that I worship is the same God that my brothers and sisters in Christ worship. Why wouldn’t He want to do great things for you and me as well as for them? In our fallen human nature, it is so easy to be jealous of the success of others, but we only see the success and not the many failures or heartaches and all the hard work that likely preceded their success. No great success comes without great suffering. Besides, the Bible commands us to rejoice with those who rejoice and to weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15). We can’t pick and choose what we’ll do in the things that our brothers and sisters in Christ go through because there’s a time to weep and mourn and a time to laugh and rejoice (Ecclesiastes 3:4). Job wept with those who mourned, and his soul grieved with those who were poor (Job 30:25). We must be glad for their successes and their victories but also their defeats and heartaches.

Not a Fair Comparison

It’s really not a fair comparison to compare ourselves with one another. Besides, it’s an unwise thing to do (2 Corinthians 10:12). God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34, Romans 2:11), so neither should we. Think about this: God loves them just as much as He loves you. He doesn’t love them any more than you, nor does He love them any less than you. We all need to realize that God loves us all equally. He might not like what we do equally, but as far as His love is concerned, it is truly unconditional. You can’t do anything that would make Him love you less, nor could you do anything that would make Him love you more. He might love or might not like what we do, but His love remains the same–it is constant, even when we aren’t.

Let God Be God

Like ancient Israel, it is so easy to grumble in the estate of life that we lead. Many others have more possessions and wealth than we do. Some have greater jobs and homes. Some have bigger families and more children. Some have a believing spouse while we might not. All you can do is thank God for whatever you have right now. By the way, the opposite is always true. There are always some who are much less blessed than we are. Just be thankful for what God has already given you. There is no greater gift than to have eternal life, right? Everything else on this earth will burn up (2 Peter 3:10-12), but all those things we do for Christ will remain. So if you’re tempted to compare your life to others, just remember that the same God they worship is the same God that you and I do. He loves them equally. What prevents Him from doing great things for you, too? The answer, of course, is nothing.

A Closing Prayer

Father, please help me to have an attitude of gratitude, to be thankful for what I have been given and for what others have been blessed with, and to know that Your love is the same for all of Your children. For that I am thankful and pray in the King’s name, Jesus Christ.

Amen

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