“Comparison is the thief of joy.”
This quote is often attributed to President Theodore Roosevelt, although it is unclear when or if he actually said it.
President Roosevelt served as the 26th president of the United States and held office 1901-1909. He was a devout Christian who often refenced his faith and our God in his speeches, ran our country from a Christian perspective, focused his life on missions and philanthropy, and when he left office, although offered a professorship at Harvard and many other prestigious appointments, chose to write for The Outlook, a small weekly Christian magazine, since that was what was meaningful to him because his passion was for God.
President Roosevelt’s reported favorite scripture was Micah 6:8 KJV, What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
The Message version offers a little more detail.
Micah 6:8 MSG, But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, And don’t take yourself too seriously—take God seriously.
Look closely. The above is what God REQUIRES of us. These are not optional instructions.
As I have read the Bible the past several weeks, God has given me new eyes for the incredible wisdom available if we just look for it and be open to it. Most recently, the dangers of self-centered comparison have been front and center.
Comparison goes hand in hand with competition, and like President Roosevelt stated, both will steal our joy. Why? Because these are focused on self, not on love, and certainly not on God. Thinking on the previous statement, we can assume that not only is comparison the thief of joy, but also the thief of love and the thief of intimacy with God, and therefore the thief of peace.
What is the opposite of joy? Misery. Self-pity. Depression.
What is the opposite of love? Hate. Resentment. Bitterness.
What is the opposite of intimacy? Isolation. Coldness. Hostility.
What is the opposite of peace? Chaos. Destruction. Suspicion.
Do you see where this is headed?
Comparison and competition are byproducts of jealousy, envy, and pride. Basicall,y the opposite of Micah 6:8.
Let’s look further.
Galatians 6:1-5 MSG says:
1-3 Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived.
4-5 Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.
Beloved Sr Pastors have long taught us to rest in God’s love. This is what they are talking about. If we can’t come to a revelation of God’s love for us (rebirth), then we can never get to a place of obedience to Micah 6:8 or Galatians 6:1-5, and we’ll forever find ourselves in the vicious cycle of Ecclesiastes 4:4 and James 3:16.
Ecclesiastes 4:4 ERV
4 Then I thought, “Why do people work so hard?” I saw people try to succeed and be better than other people. They do this because they are jealous. They don’t want other people to have more than they have. This is senseless. It is like trying to catch the wind.
James 3:16
16 If you are jealous of other people and you want to make yourself important, that will cause trouble. People will argue and fight against one another. They will do all kinds of bad things.
This is a cycle of jealousy and hate masquerading as holiness, and it is very dangerous.
In our small but mighty church, there is an extraordinary overflowing of gifted and talented people. What an amazing treasure we have! I’ve never seen so much diversity of talent and giftedness in my life – not in the workplace, not even at university. Yet, we must ask ourselves if we are celebrating each other’s gifts, talents, and victories, or if we are jealous and coveting. Are we willing or unwilling to shine for God? Are we overly willing to shine for ourselves?
Hiding one’s talents or comparing oneself to others, whether to puff oneself up or tear someone else down, is chasing the wind. As stated in Ecclesiastes 4:4, it’s futile – and both positions are disrespectful to God.
Both ways ignore the beautiful and special gifts God gave each of us. Why do we covet the blessings, gifts, and talents of others? It’s like slapping God in His face. It’s like saying, “God, I know you gave me this or that gift/talent, but his talent is better or her gift is nicer, so I want that.” How can we be so ungrateful? Do we not see the wonderful ways God has blessed our own lives? He has been so generous to all of us in ways that we do not deserve. Yet our eyes continuously fall on someone else’s gift, talent,t or blessing.
Do we not see the price that was paid by that person to receive something beautiful from God? Do we really want to pay that price? Are we really going to discount someone else’s journey and pretend no price was paid? Shouldn’t we respect their journey and God’s choice and celebrate with them because we love them and are happy for them?
Hosea 10:12 ERV says:
12 If you plant goodness, you will harvest faithful love. Plow your ground, and you will harvest with the Lord. He will come, and He will make goodness fall on you like rain.
If we are called to a particular area and/or have a special talent in something, let’s focus on it, cultivate it, and share it to glorify God. If we don’t, let’s leave that area to those God has anointed for that purpose. Let’s celebrate each other and praise God for His goodness when others do well. Let’s walk what we talk. Let’s watch how Beloved Sr Pastors conduct themselves and treat us, and follow their lead.
Think about this. If we would determine to embrace and cultivate our own gifts and talents and also be genuinely supportive to and happy for our leaders, colleagues and subordinates as they cultivate what God has given them, our church, our individual ministries, our ministry teams and our overall culture would be an unstoppable powerhouse. We need to get there, Beloved Church.
Imagine what COULD be IF we determined to change our perspective. Let me rephrase that. Imagine what WILL be WHEN we simply shift our focus.
Elder Ellen Mata
Additional Comments by Senior Pastor Steve Kim:
Romans 15:1-2 TPT “Now, those who are mature in their faith can easily be recognized, for they don’t live to please themselves but have learned to patiently embrace others in their immaturity.
2 Our goal must be to empower others to do what is right and good for them, and to bring them into spiritual maturity.”