Jesus gives us two declarative statements to deal with our desire to compare ourselves to others...

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Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God. Then Jesus told him, "Follow me." Peter turned around and saw behind them the disciple Jesus loved--the one who had leaned over to Jesus during supper and asked, "Lord, who will betray you?" Peter asked Jesus, "What about him, Lord?"   Jesus replied, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me."   -- John 21: 19-22 (NLT)

 

We are so horribly predictable in this flesh we live in. Peter has just been restored by Jesus, who gives him insight into his eventual martyrdom (Peter would be crucified as well). Restored after bragging about how he would never desert Christ only to deny even knowing Him and cursing himself in doing so. Instead of being ecstatic about the restoration, he looks to the Apostle John and essentially asks Jesus -- wait a minute -- what about him? If I am going to be martyred for you -- what about him? Isn't he the one that is called "the one Jesus loved" -- what about him? Why me Lord -- what about him?

Isn't this so much like how we can be as well? We see others being promoted in ministry and ask why him? Why not me? We have been called into a season of suffering and see others we have judged as somehow less spiritual than we are and ask -- what about him? What about her? In trying to justify our feelings we compare ourselves to someone else. To assuage our feelings of insecurity, super-spirituality, or even the feeling of somehow being burdened by the Lord we can look to others and essentially say to God -- what about him? What about her? The devil wants us comparing ourselves as a means to end up either doubting God or resenting Him. By comparing we can feel as if something is somehow unfair to us or that God somehow must have forgotten something in His plan. God is the author beloved. Let's take a look at two Biblical examples of people who gave into the temptation of comparison and the results.

Joseph was the favorite child of the 12 sons of Jacob. The Bible shows us this plainly:

Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age. So one day Jacob had a special gift made for Joseph--a beautiful robe. But his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn't say a kind word to him. -- Genesis 37: 3-4 (NLT)

Joseph's brothers compared themselves to him and were jealous. So jealous that they hated their own brother and could not even bring themselves to say a kind word towards him. This is one reason why the enemy loves to whisper seeds of comparison into our ears. It plants jealousy in our hearts. If not rooted out the jealousy turns into bitterness and the gateway to deeper sin is opened:

When Joseph's brothers saw him coming, they recognized him in the distance. As he approached, they made plans to kill him. "Here comes the dreamer!" they said. "Come on, let's kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns. We can tell our father, "A wild animal has eaten him.' Then we'll see what becomes of his dreams!" -- Genesis 37: 18-20 (NLT)

Can you imagine! Now we can get into the dangers of favoritism in families and the need for greater humility on Joseph's part but none of that excuses what is now happening. By comparing their perceived love from their father to what he showed Joseph the seeds of sin were planted. When the comparison turned into jealousy they did nothing to stem the sin tide. When it turned into resentment the sin tide rose even higher. By the time we get to this point what started as a comparison has grown to murderous anger. Thankfully, one brother had a slightly cooler head and convinced them to merely sell their brother into slavery! And you thought you had family issues!

Now, not all comparison has to lead this far. This is obviously an extreme but it highlights the dangers of comparing your lot in life to others. Today's deep theology for you is this -- life is not always fair. But despite the inherent unfairness we serve a God who is always just by nature. We do not have to worry about getting even. We do not have to worry about payback. We do not have to worry about anything and never need to ask the question -- what about him? What about her?

The second example is found in the Parable of the Lost Son. We all should know the story. A father has two sons. One asks for his inheritance and goes off into the world to spend it on lascivious living. The other stays at home and works the father's land. After squandering the entire inheritance, the first son literally finds himself living in the pig pen and decides to return home to his father humbled by his poor life choices. The father runs to greet him and starts to celebrate because his lost son is now found -- a perfect picture of the salvation we enjoy now that we have left the pig pen of the world and have come back to God the Father. God could have let the story end there and it would have been beautiful but He had more to teach us. Because upon the prodigal's return, the other brother began to compare himself to his brother. He was offended by the celebration for his brother:

"The older brother was angry and wouldn't go in. His father came out and begged him, but he replied, "All these years I've slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!' -- Luke 15: 28-30 (NLT)

The point God is making is that while the lost son was now found, the son who had stayed with the father was actually lost. We cannot serve God out of a sense of duty. But here is the other danger from the temptation of comparison -- the same anger and resentment that Joseph's brothers turned on their sibling, here is turned on God! The enemy wants us comparing ourselves to others because he knows that our flesh tendency is to feel slighted, or put upon. Our flesh nature is to feel that somehow we are not being treated as well. Once Satan has accomplished that, the only question is which direction the jealousy, resentment and anger will go. It will either go horizontally into others in our lives, opening up many other avenues to sin or it will go vertically to God Himself. Either way the result is clear. It drives a wedge between ourselves and God. We too can have the spirit of the other brother in our walk with the Lord. We can tend to confuse our service unto God with our walk. When we do that, man can always hurt us and we can then transfer that hurt to God. I have seen it all the time where people get hurt in ministry and they let it affect their personal walk with the Lord. One of the ways we get hurt is to compare ourselves to others within the church. We can feel that we should be promoted in ministry. That we are more committed, or God forbid think that we are more holy. We can be blessed with a gift, such as singing and feel if we are not on the front line of the choir that the church must somehow not be appreciating our call. God is not interested in your ability -- He is interested in your availability! Just look at the people God uses in the Bible! David was the least of seven sons. Moses had a speech impediment and was a murderer. The Apostles were mostly simple fisherman and by all accounts they were not very good at that either! The secret to your call is never skill and ability but it always obedience and humility. Comparisons only build a sense of false self-righteousness, resentment and if not addressed; anger. The result will be a wedge between yourself and God.

Thankfully, God always provides the answers in His Word. Going back to the key verses God provides us with His answer to us when we feel the spirit of the other brother rising up in us. He gives us two declarative statements to combat the temptation of comparison. The first statement God is saying to us today is -- what is that to you? God wants us to examine what our motivation is in comparing ourselves to someone? Where is our focus? The devil wants us looking at anything except Jesus! Remember it was only when Peter took his eyes off of Jesus that he began to sink.

Is God sovereign in our lives or not? If He is then the decisions He makes should be final. We can fall into the trap of placing too much value in this life. The spirit of comparison is a questioning spirit. It is a doubting spirit. Joseph's brothers questioned why Joseph was the favorite and such petty things as a colorful coat made them bitterly envious. The prodigal's brother doubted the father's blessings upon his brother. He felt that he deserved them more. That he had suffered more. But here is the difficult question we all must face today. What if the role you are so unhappy with is the intended role God has for you? Can you learn to be content simply by being in His perfect will? Doesn't God have the right to decide who plays what part:

No, don't say that. Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, "Why have you made me like this?" When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn't he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into?   In the same way, even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction. -- Romans 9: 20-22 (NLT)

Realize today that when we are comparing ourselves to others we are essentially arguing with God. God is working on each one of us. We are a work in progress. We are on His potter's wheel and He is trying to shape us into the true image of His Son to do great works for His glory that He has already prepared for us! When we start to compare we hop off of the potters wheel and start to question what God is doing. We think we are asking about the other person but we are really asking about ourselves! The prodigal's brother was more upset about how he felt he had been treated not his brother. He obviously had developed years of bitterness about working for his father. Joseph's brothers were clearly upset with the favoritism but they were more upset in the heart that they were not the favorite. Even the Apostles seemed to be constantly arguing over which one of them was the greatest! So when we feel the urge to look at someone else in our church or our ministry and feel slighted somehow picture Jesus saying to us -- what is that to you? When someone advances before us, someone appears more blessed than we are, or any other means of comparison starts to crop up -- what is that to you? Sometimes in the church we spend too much time worrying about other people's walks. We can fall into this trap because it is far more comfortable to look at someone else then to look in the mirror. You ever know someone who always has a verse or a devotional for someone else? "Oh this Word was for so and so"" That is a spirit of comparison and Jesus is saying to us all today -- what is that to you?

The second declarative statement is the simple solution for all of this -- as for you"follow me. Peter -- stop looking at John and just follow me. Sons of Jacob -- stop looking at Joseph and follow me. Prodigal's brother -- stop looking at your brother and follow me. And whoever else this devotional is speaking to -- stop looking at your fellow congregants. Stop looking at your brother and sister. Stop looking at your pastor, stranger or friends. Jesus is saying to us today -- as for you"follow me.

Then he said to the crowd, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed? -- Luke 9: 23-25 (NLT)

Comparing yourself to others is selfish by nature. You are putting yourself ahead of the other person and ahead of God. You are trying to hang onto your own life instead of sitting on the potter's wheel and trusting the Potter. Trusting the Creator. Trusting His plan. The Apostle Paul, sitting in prison when he knew his time on this earth was almost up, penned the letter to the church at Philippi. He had evangelized the entire known world and saw exponential church growth. God did miracles through him. Yet as he sat awaiting his certain death, he wrote these words:

I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,   I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. -- Philippians 3: 12-14 (NLT)

What humility. Paul could have compared himself positively like the Pharisee did with the publican and puffed himself up. If we are to continue to grow in the Lord we too must press on. We must forget what has passed. We must not look to the left or too the right. We must avoid the spirit of comparison that seeks to destroy us. We must remember the declaration from Jesus to Peter and to us today:

"What is that to you? As for you"follow me."

Reverend Anthony Wade -- April 13, 2012

Authors Bio:
Credentialed Minister of the Gospel for the Assemblies of God. Owner and founder of 828 ministries. Vice President for Goodwill Industries. Always remember that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.