UNHEALTHY COMPARISONS (5)

‘…Godliness with contentment is great gain.’ 1 TIMOTHY 6:6

Paul writes, ‘Godliness   with contentment is great gain.’ This word ‘gain’ doesn’t mean increase, but   profit. There’s a difference. Profit is what you have left when the   transaction is over. Paul meant that when everything is said and done, you   must feel good about being yourself. You must be able to say, ‘I would rather   be a great sergeant than a poor general.’ Only when you’ve followed well, can you lead   well. If you’re praying for a certain position or promotion, check   your motives. Sometimes what we call faith is really just ambition, because   we haven’t come to the place where we’re comfortable with the role God has   given us. King Saul’s undoing was his   ego. He couldn’t stand somebody else doing it better than he did. Many of us   have a wrong concept of what being ‘blessed’ looks like. We have seen God’s   blessing in someone else’s life, so we think that to be like them is to be   blessed. And no matter what God gives us, we are never happy because we’re   not like them. We are asking God for something but we don’t know what it is,   what it looks like, or when we have it. And if you don’t know you have it,   you won’t know when you lose it. When you keep comparing yourself to   somebody else you make that person an idol in your life. Tear that idol down!   Ask God for a dream of your own. Stand on your own two feet. Be who God   created you to be. Even though God has more in store for you, praise Him for   what He’s given you right now.

UNHEALTHY COMPARISONS (4)

‘There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.’   1 CORINTHIANS 12:4

No matter how good you   are, you’ll never be good at being somebody else. Don’t fall into the trap of   trying to live up to the reputation of another person. The new husband says   to his wife, ‘My mother makes better fried chicken than this.’ The wife   retorts, ‘Then tell your mother to come over here and cook you some.’ If you   want your wife to shine in the kitchen, compliment her. Don’t compare her   with somebody else. Unhealthy comparisons hurt relationships! The Psalmist   writes about the successful person who ‘is like a tree planted by streams of   water, which yields its fruit in season…’ (Psalm 1:3 NIV). A wise fruit   grower understands three things about his trees: 1) Apple trees are only   capable of producing apples. 2) Apple trees only produce apples in certain   seasons. 3) It   is a mistake to pick your apples too early. When the daughter of a   well-known preacher was introduced on a Christian television network, she   received invitations from several churches to come and speak. But her father   said, ‘No, leave her alone. I won’t allow the system to eat her up and begin   to compare her unfavourably with her father or mother or somebody else she   can never be. I want her to be herself.’ What great counsel and insight! Paul   writes, ‘…That we…might be for the praise of his glory’ (Ephesians 1:12   NIV). When you understand who you are and what God created you to be-being   yourself brings glory to God! You can say, ‘Lord, I’m thankful for who You   made me; I’ve finished complaining or wishing I could be somebody else.’

Growing In Christ( Avoid Rivalry)   Pet Preacher Syndrone

05 Dec 2012

UNHEALTHY COMPARISONS (3)

‘I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it   grow.’ 1 CORINTHIANS 3:6

Unhealthy comparison is   a sign of spiritual immaturity. Here’s what Paul wrote to the Corinthians:   ‘Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly-mere infants   in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for   it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there   is jealousy and quarrelling   among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? For   when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow   Apollos,” are you not mere men? What, after all, is Apollos? And what is   Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe-as the Lord has   assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God   made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but   only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters   have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labour’ (vv.   1-8 NIV). Understanding   your gifts and your God-given purpose frees you from the need to measure yourself   by the runner in the next lane, or someone playing a different position on   the team. When you understand this, your sense of inadequacy will be healed   and you’ll be able to enjoy and complement others. You’ll also be   able to help liberate your children from sibling rivalry and show them that success is not about being   like somebody else, but about being the best you can be, and all God made you   to be.

UNHEALTHY   COMPARISONS (2)

‘…They   measure themselves by themselves…’ 2   CORINTHIANS 10:12

A   certain level of competitiveness is good. You need it. When children enter a   spelling contest they study harder and learn more because they’re going to   compete. They know their academic prowess is about to be challenged and they   get ready for it because we like to win. But when your competitiveness makes   you feel ‘less than’, or ‘better than’ another person, it’s gone too far.   Paul writes: ‘…When they measure themselves by themselves and compare   themselves with themselves, they are not wise. We, however, will not boast   beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the sphere of service   God…has assigned to us’ 12-13 NIV). To evaluate your success accurately you   must first understand your God-given purpose. When you play on a team your   position determines your purpose. Attackers and defenders have different skills, but to   win, the team needs both. The defender who keeps the opposing team   from scoring is just as valuable as the attacker who scores. One may get more   applause than the other, but victory belongs to them all. When you keep comparing yourself with   others you’re denied a sense of accomplishment, because you’ve made the   benchmark to be like somebody else. No, they are playing a   different position. They have a different purpose. They have a different   skill set designed to fulfil the role God has given them. God gives you everything you need for the   position you play and the purpose you have. What a liberating truth! And God, who gave   others the ability to excel at what they do, will do the same for you when   you learn to focus on Him, not them.