THE HONEST STANDARD
Richard Harris
Today’s Scripture: “But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor.” Galatians 6:4, ESV
Theme: Improve your own work, focus on your own God-given calling without comparing to others.
DO NOT EMULATE THE FAULT IN OTHERS
Some of our recent teachings during the weekend services have been about reaping what we sow (“the tithe is for you, not from you”), the Fruit of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, and developing a Jesus mindset. Today’s Scripture provides the opportunity to examine our actions, work diligently, and refrain from comparing ourselves to others. What would Jesus do? When we live in Christ, we shall sow into the Spirit and reap a harvest larger than the one that we planted. Our work should be for God, rather than comparing ourselves with others to prove our worth.
When we compare our actions and accomplishments to others, we are wasting our time and showing a disregard for God’s opinion. No mortal can set the standard for how Christians are to live or what constitutes success when we labor for our LORD. Only Christ can do that. It’s foolish to feel that the only way we can experience any pleasure from our work for God is to compare ourselves to our neighbor.
CONCENTRATE ON FOLLOWING JESUS
In today’s world of envy, back-stabbing, sinning, petty competitiveness, idol worship, jealousies, negative social media posts, AI, and skewed advice, how do we know that we - ourselves - are on the right track? We concentrate on following Christ Jesus. How would He want us to act? We all have different life experiences, callings, and strengths. There is no benefit to comparing ourselves to anyone other than Jesus Himself. His actions were measured against God’s Word, not against the successes and failures of mortal beings. He has given us that measure of Faith. That is the honest standard that gives us that genuine sense of accomplishment from our own efforts and growth. Why compare that with others? Let’s quit looking over our shoulders at what others are doing. Let us pay careful attention to our own work, allowing the satisfaction of a job well done, and only God’s approval to sustain us.
Make it Personal: We have all probably engaged in the envy of human idols: sports stars, entertainment celebrities, leaders, musicians, artists. When climbing that ladder of life, have you set standards against those that seemingly succeeded? Did you compare your actions to their successes? The most successful of these gave credit to their Lord. It took me years to figure out the fruitlessness of comparing oneself to others. Most of us will never paint like Rembrandt, write like Jodi Picoult, sing like Paul McCartney, or be a transformative leader like Nelson Mandela. Using God’s standard, I focused on my own actions; not others. I found joy and satisfaction in this new approach. How can you change your focus from comparison to God’s calling?
Pray: Father: Thank You for Your Word. We humbly accept the calling for which You have gifted us. Your way is greater than any other. Thank you, LORD, for overseeing our personal growth; as flowers that bloom at different rates, we trust in You to control the pace and manage the timeline. LORD, thank You for the intimate friendship we have. In Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ’s Name, Amen.
Read: Galatians 4:3-10; Proverbs 14:14, 1 Corinthians 11:28
Weekly Memory Verse: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” Hebrews 12:1-2, ESV