How many times do we compare ourselves to others? Probably a lot more than we’d like to admit. For some reason, we believe we need to “one-up” each other to make ourselves look better than the next. It’s like we cannot be enough if our neighbor is winning.
It’s a Biblical problem that goes all the way back to Cain & Abel. In Genesis 4, we meet the two sons of Adam & Eve – Cain & Abel. One was a farmer and the other was a shepherd. The farmer (Cain) offered God a sacrifice of vegetation and the shepherd (Abel) offered God a sacrifice of meat. God only accepted Abel’s offering and Cain got so jealous that he killed his own brother. Cain was forever banished to wander the Earth.
Do you see how destructive comparison can be? Do you know that this isn’t God’s desire for us? Do you understand that God created each of us uniquely for a reason and purpose – to walk along side each other rather than against each other? (Isaiah 64:8, Ephesians 2:10, Ephesians 4:16)
Lisa Bevere says in her book Without Rival that God doesn’t love us equally, but uniquely. We are all made so intricately God cannot love us all in the same way, but His love for us is tailored to who He made us. (See Psalm 139:13-16)
Our focus should be running in comparison to Jesus. He is the one we should compare ourselves with & only Him. Jesus came to Earth not only to die for our sins, but to be our example. Set your gaze on His journey & not on your neighbors as comparison.
When we look over to our neighbors- we should be doing it to encourage, help or show love to them. When we care about each other & understand that we are meant to work with each other than against each other, the Body of Christ can thrive.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.”
Rest…that has been something God has wanted me to pursue this year. That is one thing I have a hard time doing – not being in control & in the middle of everything. One thing that is not “natural” for me. I know some of you can relate.
Busyness is a common place for me. It is my comfort zone and it helps me define my worth. Yes, that is right…without something to do, I have a hard time seeing myself as important in this world. Without doing something – will people love me as I am? Will God accept me?
Am I good enough to just be me without offering anything to the world? Is it enough for me to not have 5 things happen all at the same time? If I’m not drowning in stuff to do, am I doing it right?
Oh, but when God says to do something, you should do it. I’ve learned this the hard way this year. God is a good Father and will step in if His children are stubborn. That stubborn child is me. Lord, help me.
God had to shift things up so that I would pay attention. Let me just tell you this – it is much easier if you just listen to God. Remember this next time you – yourself- want to be stubborn.
Don’t get me wrong, the fact that God stepped in is a place of celebration for me. This is because I know He cares and that I am His. Hebrews 12:6 says: ““For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.”” It is a blessing to be disciplined because it means He calls us His.
One thing God has helped me understand in this season is that He is in control. That He can be trusted. One of the reasons I was so busy was because I wanted to be in the middle of everything because I couldn’t trust that I would be cared for. I know, silly to think about how God won’t take care of me when He is so good however, that trust is not too easy to walk out.
Faith is a strange thing. When you don’t trust God with everything, you cannot have faith in Him with your whole heart. This is a problem for someone who lives for God – because your life contradicts itself. That was me. I was not allowing God to move in me like He wanted to.
So – now, after God got me alone, I had two choices. I could learn to lean into Him or walk away from Him. I chose to lean in. I wish I could say that it was easy, but it wasn’t. I could never imagine myself walking away from God, but it was still so hard to lean in and trust.
Let me tell you this – as I lean in closer, the more and more I see that He knows best. That His healing is not here today and gone tomorrow – it lasts. That whatever I face, He wants to fight for me (Exodus 14:14). And He can be trusted with everything – whatever it may be!
So if what I just described is something you have faced lately…know this – you can lean in and you can trust God. He will not leave you or abandon you!! Reach out to God, repent for not trusting Him and start following His lead.
“Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.”
In our world today, to get ahead, you must talk yourself up & make a name for yourself. You have “people” who work for you & your endeavors. This seems very real to us here & understandable. It’s his things work. But the Kingdom of God is paradoxical – almost self-contradictory. With the God’s Kingdom, you must become less to be more.
““But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Matthew 23:8-12 NIV
If you want to work for God – you must serve. Humility is the currency of God’s Kingdom. Be careful about making it about you – because God will always outshine you.
Serve God & serve others. The more we do that, the greater God’s Kingdom becomes.
I ask you to join with me to commit to being more humble & genuine in your walk. I know this is an area I always need work & I would love for you to join me.
Let’s build God’s Kingdom & bring glory to His name!!
Unity – the state of not being multiple. That is what Christ wants for His church. If you consider yourself a Christ-follower, He is speaking about you & I. It is no secret that, in America, unity is not where we are in our country. So many of us are waiting for our government to unify us, make this country better. But we can’t depend on them to do that. It must start in the church…with us!
So many things could divide us if we let differences matter. I am very blessed to attend a church that is multiracial, multigenerational, and multi-socioeconomic. We aren’t a perfect church because that doesn’t exist. But the fact that we have many differences and yet we are one family says so much. It shows me that unity within the body of Christ is possible.
We are going to be different. We are going to have Democrats & Republicans, different races, some people wealthy and others that aren’t – and still work for the same goal. The Church should be where unity starts.
Let’s show love to others regardless of how different someone is to us. Speak truth, yes. Preach the word, yes. Live righteously, yes. But love people like God loves. Seek justice for those who deserve it. Treat all people like they have value…because they do. Everyone is made in God’s image.
Let’s start being the change we wish to see in the world & living boldly. Who is joining me?
““A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.””
John 13:34-35 NIV
“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
Philippians 2:1-4 NIV
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”
Colossians 3:12-14 NIV
“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
I wish I could tell you I am always good and never make a mistake. I wish. Reality is that I fail daily. Yep, daily. It’s terrible. No matter how good I am, there is always some bad in me.
Part of being human is understanding the bad parts of ourselves. Understanding that we will fail. No matter how hard I try to deny that I do bad things (which I do too often), I will always have to eventually admit that there are parts of me that are awful.
Don’t get me wrong, this blog isn’t all about how awful we can be. There are parts of me (and parts of you) that are amazing. There are attributes to us that God put in us – that God loves about us, that make us incredible creatures. We are God’s precious creation, one He is proud of.
But if we do not admit to ourselves and be brutally honest to ourselves and to God how awful we can be, then we cannot accomplish what we need to accomplish in this life. If we allow these sins, discretions, or mishaps to go on without working on them/correcting them – it can actually derail us. I don’t want to walk through life allowing pride to defeat me. What about you?
How do you and I defeat this foe called us? We use humility. We go to God and ask Him to not only forgive us, but to help us turn from our awful ways to become better people. If we live our lives on a culture of humility, very few things can get is down.
Paradoxical? Wouldn’t it be better if we were our own constant cheerleaders no matter what we do? In the world, maybe. But in the Kingdom, putting others first and allowing yourself to learn from your mistakes so you can grow is vital.
Don’t let your failures and sins get you so down you can’t get up. But don’t allow yourself to take those mistakes so lightly that you decide not to acknowledge them. Repentance and humility are the best road!
“The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.”
Have you ever messed up? I mean really did something stupid? I think we all can say yes to that for at least one moment in our lives. We all know the feeling of being awakened to the reality of our humanity.
I can remember driving one day and as the light turned green and we all started to move forward -I looked down for a split second and BANG! I totaled my car because the car in front of me slammed on their brakes & I didn’t see it. That was such a stupid mistake! I felt that horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach that we all get when we do those kinds of irresponsible things.
There is a guy named Samson who I am sure knows what that “pit-in-your-stomach” feeling is all too well. In chapter 16 of the book of Judges, we see how Samson meets Delilah and falls in love. After lying to her about what makes him so strong three times, he finally tells her the truth. This is after her repeated attempt to take away his strength and send him off as the Philistines’ prisoner.
The moment his hair is cut, God leaves him and takes the mighty strength with Him. How awful is that? I don’t want to ever know that feeling. When his strength is gone, the Philistines gorge his eyes out and send him to grind grain in prison. This was one of those really stupid, irreversabke things, right? Wrong.
Judges 16:22 says: “But before long his hair began to grow back.” Samson prayed for his strength back and God honored the humility in that prayer and gave Samson back what he had lost. In that gift of grace, Samson killed more Philistines (Israel’s enemy) than ever before.
When we do something wrong, even when it is really wrong, we cannot say that we can never be as good as we once were. Yes, we have to deal with the consequences of our actions, but God honors those who humble themselves. Our God – Jesus Christ – understands what it is like to overcome adversity. He overcame the world’s adversity on the cross.
Never disqualify yourself just because you messed up. Take a note from Samson’s life: even when you mess up majorly, your life can still have meaning. Just humble yourself and go to God. Great things happen when we do that.
Be blessed, dear friends. No one can go too far for the love of our father to reach!
“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”
Psalm 139:7-10 NIV
Prayer: Lord, thank you for your grace and your unconditional love! Thank you for loving me even when I sin. Help me, Lord, understand and overcome any adversity I’ve allowed in my life. I humbly come before you because I cannot overcome it by myself. I don’t want the mistakes of my past to define my future. I thank you for giving your Son as a sacrifice so that I may live in this amazing grace. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
In 30 years of life, I’ve struggled quite a bit with self worth. I know I am not alone. In fact, I am pretty sure you are someone or you know someone who are struggling/has struggled with it. It is a hard thing to overcome, but to live a bold life in the Kingdom, we must overcome. We must understand who we are in Him.
No, not being prideful or boasting about how you are better than everyone. But understanding the power God has placed in and on your life. Understanding that He has a purpose and a plan that no one can take from you. YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD.
To do this, to accept yourself as a worthy son or daughter of God, one must go on a journey. It isn’t something you can just do one day because you are bored. There are steps to this that may take time and effort. Change never happens overnight.
The first step may not be what you think it is. It may not be what the world says is the right way to accept yourself. But this must be your first step in any journey in the Kingdom. Be humble before God and acknowledge that you are not perfect and in desperate need of Him.
Have you ever tried to be perfect? Ever tried to never get anything wrong? It’s hard and discouraging. But why is it that way? It’s simple – because we are sinful creatures, being born into sin and have to fight our flesh on a daily basis. God is our source, our savior, our keeper. He is the one who is perfect. We need His presence everyday to combat this awful flesh of ours.
As we all know, Lucifer believed that He was perfect and, subsequently, was sent to Hell. As humans, created in His image, we have the wonderful Grace that God provided through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus, we can now live a new life if we are born again. But we must practice humility.
1 John 1:8-9 says: “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”
He is faithful and He is all we need!
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 says: ” Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
When we are weak, then we are strong! Be humble before God and confess you need Him daily! How do you start this journey – designating a time to pray every day, reading His word every day, fasting, cutting the things of the world out of your life. In doing this, great things will happen.
Waiting is a hard thing to do. There are times we may wait for years before we see the things God has laid out for us. In this interim, we must deal with our surroundings in a way that it doesn’t detract from our future. In other words, we must not become stagnant, bitter and angry. How do we do that? We stay humble. The definition of being humble is “not proud; not thinking of (or showing) yourself as better than other people.” Humility is a subject that is talked about a lot in churches. It also is mentioned many times in the Bible – 3751 to be exact. I know that this subject has been spoken on a lot, but because it is so important and, dare I say, because it is one of the hardest things for us to master, let’s dig into it and find out how we can remain humble in a season of waiting.
Being bold is not just about waiting – it is about everything that we do. Thus, we must let it permeate every part of us- which includes how we treat others around us. Training oneself to put yourself last takes some conscious decisions. It is not easy. There are some key people in our lives that we need to deliberately be humble to. Some, it will be easy to put them first, but others, not so much. God does care about our feelings. He knows our heart (Psalm 139:1-4) and understands why, when we interact with some people, humility is not our first thought. He does not want us to hurt, but He wants us to live our lives for Him, thus loving others (1 John 3:16). In doing so, we will see His hand and know His victory (Deut. 20:4; 1 Peter 5:5).
The first in the group of people we must humble ourselves to is those who lead us. Whether you are someone who volunteers here and there at your church or someone who sits on the Pastoral staff, we all have leaders. 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 says that we must show respect and wholehearted love to our leaders because of their work. We must show those who have to make the hard decisions honor. King David showed King Saul great respect despite the fact that David was the anointed King and Saul was not doing a good job ruling the kingdom. It didn’t matter – the man that was after God’s own heart knew that he needed to honor the man in power as long as he held that position (1 Sam. 24).
In turn, the next group of people who we must show honor and humility to are those who serve us in our ministries. Whether you are a top ministry leader or a lower tier leader in a church, you have people who work for your cause. In any of these cases, consider yourself blessed. Why? 1 Peter 5:2-4 talks about how we need to care for the flock that God entrusted to us – not to get anything out of it, but because we are serving others. In doing this, our reward will be great in Heaven. So we should be just like Jesus in John 13 and kneel before our people and be the example for those who are watching us. Thus, we are planting seeds and building other ministries with even minute acts of kindness.
The third group of people that every Christian should be humble to is those who look up to us in our journey. We all have a story and we all have a past. Anyone in ministry has a story that will reach someone. As you walk your journey, there will be people who look up to you – who admire where you have come from and want to see themselves in that stage of journey at some point in their own future. Philippians 2:3 states “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.” In the business of life, we forget that we need to make time for those around us. Remember to take time for those who may really need us in our lives.
Alongside the ones above, we now move onto the more unpleasant people in our lives. There are a group of people who, in our season of waiting, we will see get the chances that we so desire. Regardless of how upset this may make us, we must still be humble. If it is God who did this, then there is an opportunity in the future that He has planned that we cannot yet see (Prov. 3:5-, Jer. 29:11). If it is the evil one who is orchestrating this, then we need to get angry with him – for trying to hurt us and for using those in our lives to try to destroy us. To truly get back at him, celebrate those around us in their success. This way God wins!
Finally, we must be humble to those who try to purposely, even deviously take us out. This is the hardest type of humility by far. When we are waiting to be elevated, knowing that there is more to this life and then we encounter someone who is making this climb even so much harder. It Is our first instinct to try to do the same to them – take them out before they do us. We must remember that God is always faithful (Psalm 36:5) so we should trust that His plan will go forth regardless. It is our duty to not retaliate. Romans 12:17-19 says to never take revenge and never try to pay back evil with evil. We must live in honor and in peace. Let the Lord fight our battles. How bold do you say that is?
Being bold is not easy. There are many things on this journey that could trip us up, but there is one thing we all need to remember: “He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less” John 3:30.
Blessings.
This is a statue at my university, Dallas Baptist University. It captures Jesus washing a disciple’s feet.
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Boldly Radiant 