Competition

Competition

Philippians 2: ³ Don't do anything from selfish ambition or from a cheap desire to boast, but be humble toward one another, always considering others better than yourselves. ⁴ And look out for one another's interests, not just for your own.

 

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Wanting to get promoted, I worked hard. When I did not get the promotion, I was upset. I asked “Why/” I was told that I did not self-promote well. I started telling people about the “great” job “I” was doing but it still did not work. Then I was told to let other people know how “bad” my peers were doing.

 

• I really wanted to get ahead by being promoted.
• I wanted to be known for “my” expertise.
• I felt “I” deserved to be in charge because “I” knew more and “I” worked harder than others.

 

Paul addresses something that is deeply embedded in everyone, namely selfishness. From birth, humans desire things for themselves. GOD revealed to Paul that selfishness could lead to ambition which could lead to the same pride Satan had when trying to become GOD.

 

My Observations

• Selflessness is a learned behavior GOD wants me to acquire from JESUS.
• Being humble towards other people is something GOD wants me to act out so HIS voice can be heard.
• Looking out for other’s interest is a focus GOD wants me to include while looking out for myself.

 

Competing with other people means someone has to lose. I mean, when “I” get “my” way, and he or she does not, “I” get ahead and someone else is left behind. The world would say “What’s wrong with that?” BUT GOD would say “That is not the path I want you on.”

 

“Selfish” ambition “Cheap” desire and “Boasting” are all qualities that feel so good when used to get “ahead.” BUT GOD sees this as running towards HIS role. HE wants to be GOD while my role is to bring people to HIM. That’s it. I am glad GOD opens my eyes to my competitiveness and shows me a better way.

 

Challenge

• What is the warning from the writer?
• Have you ever pouted when another person got ahead and you did not?
• Have you ever asked GOD “What about me?”
• Will you consider that GOD has you where you are so you can help other people by looking out for his or her interests while looking out for yourself?

Superiority

 

Superiority

1 Corinthians 1: ²¹ For God in his wisdom made it impossible for people to know him by means of their own wisdom. Instead, by means of the so-called “foolish” message we preach, God decided to save those who believe. ²² Jews want miracles for proof, and Greeks look for wisdom. ²³ As for us, we proclaim the crucified Christ, a message that is offensive to the Jews and nonsense to the Gentiles; ²⁴ but for those whom God has called, both Jews and Gentiles, this message is Christ, who is the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ For what seems to be God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and what seems to be God's weakness is stronger than human strength.

 

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“Let me go and teach ‘those’ people about the Bible” was my thought. I had freshly taken another class at a well known Bible institute and I was headed on my first missions trip. When I arrived a man who walked 20 miles to hear me spoke about the Bible in ways I was unfamiliar. He ended up teaching me more than I taught anyone on that trip.

 

• There have been times when I thought “my” knowledge was superior.
• There have been times when I thought “I” had more wisdom than others.
• There have been times when I thought “If only a miracle would happen in front of people who do not believe, then ‘they’ would believe.”

 

Paul explains the false belief in human wisdom. He knew that some of the church leaders would scoff at the message of JESUS being the Messiah. He also knew that some scientific leaders would scoff at JESUS because of the popular belief in their knowledge. BUT GOD has something else to say.

 

• GOD wants me to believe in JESUS without question.
• GOD wants me to believe in JESUS without needing to prove HIS power.
• GOD wants me to believe in JESUS without thinking I am smarter than HIM or HIS humans HE created.

 

Superiority may come from insecurity. I mean, when I want to be heard, I may study something and try to be the ‘best’ at that subject to prove to other humans I am superior in ‘my’ industry. BUT GOD laughs at ‘my’ knowledge. When I think ‘I’ am superior, I never ask myself, “What if I am wrong?” or “What if I should not be heard because my heart is wrong?”

 

Superiority takes over and makes me not see JESUS in my life when I should. I may judge someone or label ‘that’ person incorrectly, never admitting that I am not GOD and cannot see what is in a person’s heart. Only GOD is wise. I am glad I am not superior and admit I need GOD.

 

• Are you trying to prove yourself to people?
• Do you feel inferior to some and superior to others?
• Will you drop your labels you place on others and look to GOD for HIS wisdom today?

Looking Across

Looking Across

Acts 10 ⁹ The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour. ¹⁰ Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance ¹¹ and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. ¹² In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. ¹³ And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”

¹⁴ But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.”

¹⁵ And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” ¹⁶ This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again.

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When certain people walked in the room, I got nervous. I mean, what was I supposed to say? I shook the CEO’s hand and said “I won the President’s Award recently.” He replied “Good for you” in a missed opportunity way. I did not know how to speak to the upper echelon.

Sometime later I walked around downtown. “Do you have any spare change?” asked a homeless person. He wreaked of all kinds of smells. With money in pocket I replied “Not this time.”

• Many times I treated some people as if they were higher than others.
• Many times I treated some people as if they were lower than others.
• Many times I treated some people as if “they” were unclean because “they” were sinners.

Peter was given a vision from GOD that was kind of extreme. He was told to eat animals and bugs that were not ceremonially clean for a Jew. Peter, trying to be righteous, replied “I have never eaten anything common or unclean.” He looked down on certain foods and up at others.

• GOD wants me to see people as “us” not “them.”
• GOD wants me to sympathize and empathize with people.
• GOD wants me to treat everyone the same and share GOD’s love, even to those I feel do not “deserve” it.

Looking up or down at people causes problems. I mean when I think I am lower than other people, I may not speak about GOD to them even if HE tells me to. On the other hand, when I look down at people I may not think they “deserve” a message from GOD.

Looking across at people enables me to see that “we” are all fallen people . I have sinned and so have they. As I have said before “We are in the mud, throwing mud at each other, saying ‘you have mud on you’.” GOD wants me to have an attitude of grace, not mud flinging. I am grateful HE sees me as clean, I should see others HE sends me to, the same way.

• Do you look down on people around you or on the news?
• Do you think you are better than “that” person?
• Will you widen your heart to include people who do not look or act like you so you and them will receive GOD’s grace today?

Blinded by the rules

Blinded by the rules

John 5: ¹⁶ For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath. ¹⁷ But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.”

¹⁸ Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. 

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After years of doing whatever I wanted to do, I decided to go back to church. I had enough of “sinning” and I wanted to follow GOD for a change. As I got deeper into reading and attending church, my speech started to change. “Look at THOSE people doing THAT sin.” I mean how dare they sin!

• There were times when I measured people to ‘my’ standard.
• There were times when I looked at what people were doing wrong so ‘I’ could correct them.
• There were times when I felt ‘I’ had arrived because of where ‘I’ had come from.

The church leaders sought to kill JESUS because HE performed a miracle on the Sabbath. JESUS replied with an answer stating HE and HIS FATHER have been working together. This statement grew the rage of the church leaders so they figured they had justification for their legal actions.

• GOD wants me to follow HIS word, knowing I am still a sinner.
• GOD wants me to read HIS word, knowing people need grace.
• GOD wants me to understand HIS heart through observing HIS actions while HE walked the earth.

Over the years I have tried to correct people into salvation from what I can see. If I see the right evidence, then I feel my work is done. BUT GOD says something different. HE wants me to plant HIS seeds and take my eyes off of the person as I give them to HIM.

Strong faith does not require seeing what GOD is doing in “that” person’s life. GOD wants me to recognize what HE is doing in my life so I can drop my complaints, control and conspiring attitude. I recognize I do not follow GOD’s rules, that’s why I need HIM and thank HIM for HIS grace.

• Do you think you are good at following rules?
• Are you busy pointing at those who do not follow the rules well?
• Will you ask GOD to open your blind, rule based eyes and allow HIM to add a measure of grace to your heart today?

You Are Doing It

Luke 7: ²⁹ And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John. ³⁰ But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.

³¹ And the Lord said, “To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like? ³² They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying:

‘We played the flute for you,
And you did not dance;
We mourned to you,
And you did not weep.’

³³ For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ ³⁴ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ ³⁵ But wisdom is justified by all her children.”

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“You are doing it wrong” I said to the person as I jumped in and started “helping” them. After a while I took over the task and the person shrunk away. “Thank goodness! They weren’t meeting my standards anyway.”

• Three have been times when I set the bar high when it came to meeting “my” expectations.
• There have been times when I talked about people who made mistakes and could not cut it.
• There have been times when I looked down on others who could not perform to what I thought should be the performance level.

The Pharisees and lawyers rejected being baptized by anyone who would call JESUS “GOD.” Their attitude seemed like they were doing everything right and JESUS was doing everything wrong. GOD HIMSELF appeared to them as a sinner and a drunkard.

• JESUS says to me “Do no judge lest you be judged.”
• JESUS says to me “Serve everyone, just as I have come to serve mankind.”:
• JESUS says to me “Follow ME and serve those who do not look or act like you.”

“You are doing it right” should be the words I say to someone who worships JESUS differently than I do. Instead of judging the people to “my” standard,

I should be praising GOD that there is another person who is doing things for HIS kingdom and I don’t have to do all the work. Unity is something GOD wants me to have so the kingdom can grow stronger.

• Are you judging someone?
• Do you feel you are doing things better than other people?
• Can you stop labeling people and start praising and encouraging them to follow GOD today?

Fixing people

Joshua 2:¹Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. “Go, look over the land,” he said, “especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.

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After praying and having a number of discussions I felt pretty good about the progress made with this guy. “He is ready to serve” I assessed. Weeks later I got a phone call stating he had a lapse and was back on drugs. We have to “fix” him, otherwise he can’t serve I thought to myself.

• When I look at someone else’s sin I can get smug.
• When I look at people as projects I can get high and mighty.
• When I look at a person’s contribution to the GOD’s kingdom, I act like I can save them and I have a heaven or a hell to put them in.

When I single out a sin “that” person is doing that I’m not, I can get rather smug in my thinking. I mean, I don’t do “those” things any longer, or I “never” did. “Those people” is a term that assumes I’m not part of that group.  In fact it implies I’m above the group. GOD has something different in mind.

• GOD sees every person as one of HIS until they reject the SON.
• GOD can use the most unlikely person to do great things in HIS kingdom and HE wants me to never underestimate HIS choice.
• GOD wants me to treat every person with high esteem and let HIM assess their sin level and position with HIM.

I can’t tell what a person believes even by their actions. I know I sin and that’s all I should focus on. Talking about other groups of people is very easy. I can point out their flaws and character cracks and I can even doubt they can be used. BUT GOD is the one who cleanses us of ALL unrighteousness!

• Do you think "that” person is a project?
• Do you believe “those people” are far away from GOD and “you” are close?
• Can you stop treating people like projects and give the love?
• Won’t you drop you assessment of sin and listen to what GOD wants you to do?