Day 10 - Comparison, jealousy and strife

It's hard to find contentment when you're constantly looking outside rather than in.  There have been many times when I found myself comparing my kids, my house, my clothes and my car with those of the people in my life and usually I ended up feeling inferior.

There is no logical reasoning behind it—we always come up short in the comparison, even when it is completely untrue.  It's not just about the tangibles, we extend the list to judge ourselves less spiritual, less compassionate and less noble... but why?

In the first few verses of Philippians 4, Paul is addressing the relationship between two of his supporters, fellow believers who have had a falling out.  I'd never really thought about those two women who are mentioned by name, though I experienced something like that years ago with a very dear friend.

With any close and loving relationship there are times of strife.  A disagreement arises, things are said and feelings are hurt, often beyond repair.  Paul says, these are two good and godly women who co-labored with him in sharing the good news, and although we don't know the reason for their quarrel, we understand and sympathize with them.  Here is the reason:  every Christian has an enemy.

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." (1 Peter 5:8 NLT)

This doesn't have to be literal, since a wounded christian who is wrapped up in strife, jealousy and offense is hardly effective in the Kingdom. The lion uses his intimidating roar to stir up fear, and those who are weaker than him may be devourable.  There is a greater lion, however, The Lion of Judah, who resides in the believer.  That is why the apostle John proclaimed, "Greater is He that is in you (Christ), than he that is in the world (satan)." When the believer knows who he is in Christ, he will not be devoured!



Eating from the Pantry - Day 10


Breakfast - finished up the muffins, cereal; the coffee cream is still a distraction, but we are pushing through.

Lunch - since I was out running errands, I packed snacks and drinks so as not to spend any unnecessary money.

Dinner - leftover chili macaroni.

Cost for today's meals, nothing, since everything we had was leftover.



The End of the Story
It took a few years for our relationship to be healed, and as each of us matured in our walk with the Lord, we learned to respect one another again.  In the end, the love we had for one another and for the Lord conquered our petty insecurities, to the point where I was able to sit on her hospital bed and whisper into her ear a heartfelt confession of love and gratitude for all she had been in my life on the day she passed away.

If there is a message in this story, it is this:  Do not allow yourself to be sidetracked by comparison, jealousy and strife.  Your enemy is the devil—not your spouse, your child, your neighbor or your boss. Keep in mind how gracious God is toward you and if you need further evidence of how He wants us to handle these situations, read the Parable of the Unforgiving Debtor in Matthew 18:21-35.