Chris Howlett

The Comparison Game

“A brother who shared a lodging with other brothers asked Abba Bessarion, ‘What should I do?’ The old man replied, ‘Keep silence and do not compare yourself with others.’” -- Sayings of the Desert Fathers.

We are constantly tempted to compare ourselves with others, especially when it comes to the spiritual life. There is some sickness in people that causes this. Somehow, we think that because we perceive ourselves to be not so bad off as the next guy or gal that we are somehow good.

The above saying comes from the Desert Fathers, who lived in the Egyptian desert in the 4th and  5th centuries. They mostly lived alone and gathered on Sunday’s to share a common worship service, but for whatever reason, this brother was living in close quarters to other monks. Abba Bessarion offered wise advice: don’t compare yourself with others.

Of course we constantly play the comparison game. We play it at work as we compare our work ethic with that of others. We compare looks, prosperity, spouses, children, houses, cars, clothes, cell phones, friends, etc. The list goes on and on. I can’t help but wonder if this is not a direct result of the Fall.

The first sin recorded after the Fall is of Cain murdering Abel. Why did he do so? Because he compared the God’s responses to Abel’s and his offerings. Cain was envious. He couldn’t stand being compared to his brother, having been found wanting. His pride drove him to an act of jealous rage.

Comparison almost always ends poorly. Either we feel unnecessarily bad in the light of another’s success, or we feel overly confident because of another’s failure. Funny thing about God is that when we stand before his judgement, there is only one standard to which he will judge us, ourselves. Are you being the person God created you to be? Have you accepted the grace and love he offers you through his Son, Jesus Christ? Have you used the gifts, talents, and strengths he gave you in order to build for his Kingdom? This is the standard and no other. So, the comparison game is a waste of time and energy. It is totally counter productive to what God is wanting to do in and through you.

Listen to Abba Bassarion: “Keep silence [spend time in prayer] and do not compare yourself with others.”

Sacrifice

What do you think when you read the word “sacrifice”? Where do we sacrifice, or for what do we sacrifice? I think of parents who sacrifice for their children. They delay or do away with completely something good for themselves toward the service of a greater good, their child’s good. It might be sacrificing time to make it to the kid’s ball game, sacrificing money so their kid can get braces, or a computer for school. Parents are constantly sacrificing for children, and they are happy to do so, because of love. Then there’s sports. Athletes sacrifice time, energy, hard work, certain foods, and many other things to work hard so that they will be in top condition and compete to the best of their abilities. People sacrifice all the time. We sacrifice for our education, for the greater good of pursuing our dreams. We sacrifice time at work, to further our career. We sacrifice energy, effort, and good food to lose weight in order to live healthier lives. Sacrifice is all around us.

To sacrifice is to offer something valuable to us on the altar of some greater good. Once we lay something on the altar of sacrifice, we are giving it up, we are releasing it so that it might serve a higher purpose, so that it will ultimately be used to bring something else that is better for us in our lives and the lives of others.

Paul writes in Romans 12:1-2 that there is a specific sacrifice we are called to make as followers of Christ:

“Therefore, I appeal to you, brothers [and sisters], by the compassions of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice, living, holy and acceptable to God, your reasonable worship. And do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind that you may test what the will of God is, the good, acceptable, and perfect.” Romans 12:1-2 (CMH)

He is appealing to our better nature, that we are to sacrifice our bodies to God. Now, in the space of this devotional, I don’t have time to go into all that it means to sacrifice one’s “body” to God, but let’s just say that Paul is talking about a whole-hearted sacrifice of all that I know about myself. This sacrifice is on a specific altar, God’s.

Usually, in the ancient world, when you heard sacrificial language, it implied a death, the shedding of blood. But Paul calls for something different. This is a living, holy, and acceptable sacrifice. It is living because we are still breathing. It is holy because we are setting ourselves apart for God. It is acceptable because we are going to make this sacrifice according to God’s design, not our own.

There is much more here that I will unpack next week. For now, think of how my life really is not my own, but is a living, breathing, expression of my love for and devotion to God. We are called to lay down something valuable to us, precious even, our very selves, on the altar of the greater good, really the absolutely highest good, service to, love for, and devotion to God and his purpose. There can be no recipe for a better life than this sacrifice.

[We are in week 2 of the Beeson Pastor Program this fall and I am taking a preaching class. This devotional was born out of work I am doing for a sermon for class. Last week was crazy! Worked on my dissertation and assignments for the Anthropology class that we will have the last week of August. This week we're in class every day until about five, and we have two sermons to write and deliver.]

Beeson IV Begins

    Beginning in 2008, nine pastors from around the United States began a journey of education, spiritual growth, leadership development, and community building. Coming from Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Utah, we started the Beeson Pastor Program Doctor of Ministry in Biblical Preaching and Leadership at Asbury Theological Seminary.

     Every August we have come to the Wilmore campus for classes and writing. We have traveled to Chicago, Houston, South Korea, and Cincinnati to visit innovative ministries and learn from creative and effective leaders. We’ve visited everything from a 20-something postmodern church, to a house church, to the largest church in the U.S., Joel Osteen’s Lakewood, to the largest Methodist Church in the world, Kwanglim in Seoul, to the largest church in the world, Yoido Full Gospel, also in Seoul. Early next year we will travel to Costa Rica.

    It’s been fun so far! This year our classes are the “Advanced Biblical Preaching Seminar” and “Anthropology for the Global Church.” We are all moving forward in writing our dissertations. My working title is “Equipping the Saints Using a Strengths-based Ministry Process.”

    It has been a real honor to receive the Beeson Pastor Fellowship, which is a full-ride scholarship including room and board, books, tuition, travel, and even a laptop computer. It’s been an even bigger honor to get to know my colleagues in this cohort and the other cohorts that have travelled with us and shared campus time with us. In the next few weeks I will share some brief bios of some of them so you can get to know with whom I am spending all my time during these Augusts that I have been away from Christ Church.

    So, I will be here in Wilmore, getting ready for my dissertation proposal, finishing up some work for the upcoming classes. On the weekends we’ll be making church visits. We will be on campus until August 26th. I am so appreciative of this time away from the responsibilities of pastoring the church to hone my skills, grow deeper in my relationship with Christ, and be shaped by some incredible colleagues and leaders. I know that Brenda, Andy, Mark, and Randy and our slate of small group leaders are filling in the gaps with grace and skill in my absence. Thank you for your endorsement and support!!