We fail to see the flip-side of that: that if I'm smarter, that means I think someone else is dumber. If I'm prettier, that means I think someone else is uglier; and at the end of the day, all that does is make me feel superior, which doesn't work. Listen, comparison never works. If you're better, it doesn't help you. If you're not better, it doesn't help you. Either way, it's a horrible exercise to go through. Have you ever been stuck in the land of 'er'?
Let me say it this way: have you ever lost your ability to enjoy what God's given you, because you've compared it to somebody else?
Have you ever lost the joy of your own children, because they're not achieving as much as the other person? Have you ever been convinced that your six year old is the smartest six year old in the world, only to go a first grade function, and realise that wasn't true?
Have you ever been convinced that your six year old's the smartest six year old in the world, then you go to their six year old party, and there's some Asian kid there doing the Pythagorean theorem? Then you look around for your kid, and your kids got a bucket on his head, beating it against a wall? Someone says: whose kid is that? I don't know, and before you know it you're disowning your own kid, because he's not as high achieving as this.
Do you realise that for a lot of couples in the world, your kid is their miracle? They would do anything to have a child, and they can't; and so what you're now discontented with, because he's not as high achieving as the Asian kid doing the Pythagorean Theorem; what you're discontented with is, someone else's goal in life.
Have you ever lost sight - have you ever done this to your wife (sideways glance)? Have you ever become discontented with her, because someone else was prettier?
Do you realise that there are some people, who your wife would be like the best thing that's ever happened to them; and you're losing sight that your wife is the best thing that ever happened to you, because you're comparing her to somebody else? You go get the other person, and you realise that she's pretty on the outside, but behind a closed door, she is horrible, and cantankerous, and just a terrible person. Then you're just calling the other one, it's a comparison. If you're called to be married to the woman you're with, it doesn't matter what someone else has. Have you lost the ability to enjoy what God gave you, because you're comparing them to something else?
How about your car? Have you ever been perfectly content with your car, until you get into someone else's car, and their car is so much nicer than your car; then you get back in your car, and you're like: this stinks? Do you realise that if you own a car, you're in the richest eight per cent of the whole world? That means 92% of people in the world would love to have what you have.
What about your house: have you ever been perfectly content with your nine-foot ceilings, until you visit the home of someone who has a 12-foot ceiling? You're like: wow, this is amazing! Then you back to your house, and you're like ducking, because you're all cramped.
When you're living on purpose, it doesn't matter what other people have, because you're pursuing what God has for you. There's nothing more imprisoning that comparison. I'm telling you, if you don't beat this, you'll never be an over-comer. If you don't beat your tendency to judge yourself by looking left and right; if you don't get your worth from pursuing what God has for you; if you don't beat that sense to get stuck in 'er' - the problem with 'er' is that there's always an 'est'.
If you make a million dollars this year, are you richer? Yup. Are you richest? Nope. You know that there's a guy in the world worth $68 billion - and he still goes to work every day trying to make $69 billion. It's amazing. Do you know the difference between $68 billion, and $69 billion is? It's more money than all of us will ever see in our whole life, and this guy's trying to make one more - it's 'er'. It's in prison. It's not living at all. It's not living at all.
How about this: no one forgives; gives and feeds the poor; or serves others; on accident. You have to live with full intention, so let me close this out with questions, because I want you to take what I'm saying, and I want you to be able think through it in your small groups, and apply this; because if you hear it and don't do it, it just makes your life sandy.
How about this: if you live accidentally, it will lead to destruction; so here's my questions for you. What do you desire? Can you clearly define what you want? Can you clearly define what you want; and if you can't, I would urge you, over the next seven days, to spend some time alone in a room with the Holy Spirit, and ask God: God can you reveal to me what I even want out of life? Do you know what you want?