The Apostle Paul warns of something...

... in the New Testament that is definitely as relevant today as it was then, maybe even more so. In 2 Corinthians 10:12 (NLT) He says “Oh, don’t worry; we wouldn’t dare say that we are as wonderful as these other men who tell you how important they are! But they are only comparing themselves with each other, using themselves as the standard of measurement. How ignorant!” Comparing ourselves with others is about as common as judging others but that is a subject for another time. We all get caught up in this trap of comparing ourselves with those around us.

My doctor tells me to lose weight but I can see others who are in worse shape than myself. When we are confronted with our disobedience before God we can always find someone else who is living more wrongly than we are. When our children do not want to be denied whatever the latest event that is happening, they want to compare themselves with their friends who seemingly get to always do whatever they want. “It is not fair” they say!  We always come back with the same proverbial answer, “If your friends wanted to jump off of a cliff would you want to jump off too?”

  What I believe the answer is for this horrendous habit of comparing ourselves with others is that we answer the question, “What is our standard?”  Is it my friends, are they my standard?  Is it the latest fad, is that our standard?  Is it that I am better than that person or the other?  What is our standard?  James 1:22 (NLT) “But don’t just listen to God’s Word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.”  I make my choices based on what God’s Word says about my situation. Philippians 2:5 (NLT)  “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.”  When I am faced with tough choices, instead of comparing myself with others, I should ask the question, “What would Jesus do?”  Comparing yourself to others is unwise...comparing yourself to Jesus can be life transforming!