Free
from Comparison
TODAY’S
SCRIPTURE
For we are God’s
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in
advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10, NIV.
TODAY’S
WORD
Are you comfortable in your
own skin? In other words, do you recognize yourself as the treasure God made
you, or are you constantly looking for approval and comparing yourself to a neighbour,
co-worker or friend? Do you try to out-dress them or out-perform them? Are you
always looking for ways to one-up others?
Friend, it’s time to let
all of that go. Comparison is a distraction. Comparison is a thief. It steals
your time, energy, focus and joy. You aren’t here to impress anybody; you don’t
have to prove anything because you are God’s special workmanship. He created
you with a purpose for a purpose. You are empowered and equipped to do
everything He’s called you to do.
If you will choose to stay
free from a spirit of competition and just run your own race in life, not only
will you enjoy your life more, but you’ll see your gifts and talents come out
to the full. You’ll see His blessing and favor in a greater way, and you’ll
move forward into the life of victory He has in store!
PRAYER
FOR TODAY
Heavenly Father, thank You
for setting me free from competition. I choose to rest in You knowing that I am
Your workmanship. Thank You for directing and ordering my steps. I bless and
praise You today in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
***
“Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress ...” (Hebrews 12:1b NLT)
If you want to finish the race of life, if you want to make it to the finish line, you’re going to have to let go of some things that may be holding you back in the race. Call it de-cluttering; call it simplifying. There are some things that need to be laid aside in order to finish well.
What kind of things am I talking about? The things that cause you to get discouraged. Think of it this way: If you attach one light bulb to a battery, the battery will run for a long time. If you attach 100 light bulbs to a battery, it will go dim and dark really quick!
When you keep adding things to your schedule and your life, you will quickly become discouraged and tired.
In today’s verse from Hebrews 12:1, I want to focus on two words, “weight” and “sin,” because these are the two things that hold you back in the race of life.
A weight is anything that slows you down. It could be a relationship, a job, an activity, or a sport. It doesn’t have to be a bad thing. A weight can be a good thing, but if you get too many good things in your life, you’re going to collapse because you don’t have time for all of them. You need to learn to say "no" to grow. God doesn’t expect you to do everything.
A weight can also be an unrealistic expectation that comes from peer pressure or the need to please someone, or it can be a memory. You might be stuck in the past, holding on to a happiness or hurt. The problem is that you can’t live in the past or even in the future; you can only live in the now. Trying to do anything else will weigh you down.
Whatever the weight is, if it isn’t working in your life, if it’s dragging you down, you need to let it go.
Identifying sins are easy, right? Sins are the things that you know to do but you don’t do them. You know the keys to living a healthy lifestyle or keeping your finances in good shape. But do you do them?
James 4:17 says, “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins” (NIV).
So if you know that you should spend less than you make to stay financially healthy, don’t go on a spending spree that puts you further in debt. You don’t need to keep up with the Joneses or the Smiths or whoever you’re comparing yourself to. You don’t need to use the charge card.
Live within your means so you can lay aside the weight of financial debt and run your race well.
Talk About It
- What are the weights that you need to lay aside today?
- What are the changes that you need to make in your lifestyle that would help you run your race well?
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