Comparison Is a Trap (Hebrews 12:1) - Your Daily Bible Verse - February 2

Carbonatix Pre-Player Loader

Audio By Carbonatix

Your Daily Bible Verse Podcast Banner

Comparison Is a Trap (Hebrews 12:1)
By: Betsy St. Amant Haddox

Hebrews 12:1 (ESV) 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… 

Comparison is an ugly manipulator, destined to destroy—and it goes hand in hand with envy. No good comes from comparing yourself to someone else. It’s easy to do, of course—maybe you’re hyper aware of your neighbor’s manicured lawn while your own front yard is covered in brown spots. Or maybe your best friend got the new SUV you’d been eyeing but couldn’t afford, or your co-worker got chosen for the big promotion. You look at them and think, why not me?

You immediately began creating a list in your mind of all the ways you’re superior and should have gotten it. Or perhaps you instead began to beat yourself up, charting the ways you’ve messed up and that’s surely why you were passed over.

Hebrews 12:1

Thoughts like that are only an endless, dark pit of the mind - one into which the devil loves nudging Christians. If he can’t have our security and eternal souls, he sure enough tries to steal our joy and tempt us into as much sin as possible in the meantime.

Think about this- if we’re so busy comparing ourselves to others around us, if we’re so consumed with seeing if we measure up or somehow condemning them if we don’t, we’re sure not focused on telling those people about the Gospel. If our hearts are eaten up with “less than” and discontent, we’re not thinking about anything holy or eternal or Kingdom-minded. Yikes! I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be guilty about that. I don’t want the devil to win that battle.

Here’s what the Bible says about being content:

Philippians 4:12-13 (ESV) I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

1 Timothy 6:6 (ESV) But godliness with contentment is great gain.

Here’s the thing about comparison - you’ll never come out pride-free. Either you’ll fancy yourself better in some way and therefore entertain pride, or you’ll consider yourself lacking and invite pride to dwell in the form of a self-obsessed pity-party. (and trust me, no one RSVP's to those events!) There’s nothing attractive or edifying about either of those paths.

Consider the words of Paul in Galatians 5:7 (ESV) You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? When we look away from our path - when we cast our eyes away from the Lord and from Truth - we run out of our lane. We sway and swerve and stumble over the lies of the enemy.

We would do well to heed the warning in these Scriptures instead and turn our eyes toward Christ, the only Source of trust contentment - and the only true escape from the comparison trap.

Reflect on today’s verse with us. Share your thoughts in the Your Daily Bible Verse discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Tanya Joy


Betsy_headshotBetsy St. Amant Haddox is the author of over twenty romance novels and novellas. She resides in north Louisiana with her hubby, two daughters, an impressive stash of coffee mugs, and one furry Schnauzer-toddler. Betsy has a B.A. in Communications and a deep-rooted passion for seeing women restored to truth. When she’s not composing her next book or trying to prove unicorns are real, Betsy can be found somewhere in the vicinity of an iced coffee. She is a regular contributor to iBelieve.com and offers author coaching and editorial services via Storyside LLC. 

Related Resource: The Bible Explained - Read More of The Bible This Year!

Reading the Bible shouldn't be a chore; it should be fun! Grab your cup of coffee and tune in to The Bible Explained Podcast, where Jenn Kokal explains the Bible in a simplistic, approachable way. Each weekday morning, you will hear Jenn read and discuss Scripture in a way that you (probably) have never experienced before. Touted by many listeners as "The best Bible-reading podcast out there," you won't regret tuning in, especially if you are looking to deepen your knowledge about the Bible. Jenn's goal is to present the Bible straightforwardly, utilizing biblical cross-references, ancient history, and the Hebrew/Greek languages.

Ad banner for The Bible Explained Podcast with Jenn Kokal

 

Salem News Channel Today

Sponsored Links


September 26 - Phoenix, AZ
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts


November 2 - Detroit, MI
Zion Christian Church in Troy


October 6 - Los Angeles, CA
Pasadena Convention Center


November 5 - San Antonio, TX
Norris Centers – The Grand Red Oak Ballroom


October 8 - Sacramento, CA
William Jessup University


November 7 - Tampa, FL
The Palladium at St. Pete College


October 22 - Minneapolis, MN
Crowne Plaza AiRE


November 15 - San Francisco, CA
Fremont Marriott Silicon Valley


October 23 - Philadelphia, PA
Green Valley Country Club


November 16 - Denver, CO
CU South Denver - Formerly Wildlife Experience


November 2 - Chicago, IL
Chicago Westin Northwest in Itasca


November 21 - Cleveland, OH
Holiday Inn Rockside in Independence



Salem Radio Network Speakers

Larry Elder is an American lawyer, writer, and radio and television personality who calls himself the "Sage of South Central" a district of Los Angeles, Larry says his philosophy is to entertain, inform, provoke and to hopefully uplift. His calling card is "we have a country to save" and to him this means returning to the bedrock Constitutional principles of limited government and maximum personal responsibility. Elder's iconoclastic wit and intellectual agility makes him a particularly attractive voice in a nation that seems weary of traditional racial dialogue.” – Los Angeles Times.

Mike Gallagher Mike Gallagher began his broadcasting career in 1978 in Dayton, Ohio. Today, he is one of the most listened-to talk radio show hosts in America, recently having been ranked in the Talkers Magazine “Heavy Hundred” list – the 100 most important talk radio hosts in America. Prior to being launched into national syndication in 1998, Mike hosted the morning show on WABC-AM in New York City. Today, Talkers Magazine reports that his show is heard by over 3.75 million weekly listeners. Besides his radio work, Mike is seen on Fox News Channel as an on-air contributor, frequently appearing on the cable news giant.

Hugh Hewitt is one of the nation’s leading bloggers and a genuine media revolutionary. He brings that expertise, his wit and what The New Yorker magazine calls his “amiable but relentless manner” to his nationally syndicated show each day.

When Dr. Sebastian Gorka was growing up, he listened to talk radio under his pillow with a transistor radio, dreaming that one day he would be behind the microphone. Beginning New Year’s Day 2019, he got his wish. Gorka now hosts America First every weekday afternoon 3 to 6pm ET. Gorka’s unique story works well on the radio. He is national security analyst for the Fox News Channel and author of two books: "Why We Fight" and "Defeating Jihad." His latest book releasing this fall is “War For America’s Soul.” He is uniquely qualified to fight the culture war and stand up for what is great about America, his adopted home country.

Broadcasting from his home station of KRLA in Los Angeles, the Dennis Prager Show is heard across the country. Everything in life – from politics to religion to relationships – is grist for Dennis’ mill. If it’s interesting, if it affects your life, then Dennis will be talking about it – with passion, humor, insight and wisdom.

Sean Hannity is a conservative radio and television host, and one of the original primetime hosts on the Fox News Channel, where he has appeared since 1996. Sean Hannity began his radio career at a college station in California, before moving on to markets in the Southeast and New York. Today, he’s one of the most listened to on-air voices. Hannity’s radio program went into national syndication on September 10, 2001, and airs on more than 500 stations. Talkers Magazine estimates Hannity’s weekly radio audience at 13.5 million. In 1996 he was hired as one of the original hosts on Fox News Channel. As host of several popular Fox programs, Hannity has become the highest-paid news anchor on television.

Michelle Malkin is a mother, wife, blogger, conservative syndicated columnist, longtime cable TV news commentator, and best-selling author of six books. She started her newspaper journalism career at the Los Angeles Daily News in 1992, moved to the Seattle Times in 1995, and has been penning nationally syndicated newspaper columns for Creators Syndicate since 1999. She is founder of conservative Internet start-ups Hot Air and Twitchy.com. Malkin has received numerous awards for her investigative journalism, including the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws (COGEL) national award for outstanding service for the cause of governmental ethics and leadership (1998), the Reed Irvine Accuracy in Media Award for Investigative Journalism (2006), the Heritage Foundation and Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity's Breitbart Award for Excellence in Journalism (2013), the Center for Immigration Studies' Eugene Katz Award for Excellence in the Coverage of Immigration Award (2016), and the Manhattan Film Festival's Film Heals Award (2018). Married for 26 years and the mother of two teenage children, she lives with her family in Colorado. Follow her at michellemalkin.com. (Photo reprinted with kind permission from Peter Duke Photography.)

Sponsored by:

Comparison Is a Trap (Hebrews 12:1) - Your Daily Bible Verse - February 2

Carbonatix Pre-Player Loader

Audio By Carbonatix

Your Daily Bible Verse Podcast Banner

Comparison Is a Trap (Hebrews 12:1)
By: Betsy St. Amant Haddox

Hebrews 12:1 (ESV) 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… 

Comparison is an ugly manipulator, destined to destroy—and it goes hand in hand with envy. No good comes from comparing yourself to someone else. It’s easy to do, of course—maybe you’re hyper aware of your neighbor’s manicured lawn while your own front yard is covered in brown spots. Or maybe your best friend got the new SUV you’d been eyeing but couldn’t afford, or your co-worker got chosen for the big promotion. You look at them and think, why not me?

You immediately began creating a list in your mind of all the ways you’re superior and should have gotten it. Or perhaps you instead began to beat yourself up, charting the ways you’ve messed up and that’s surely why you were passed over.

Hebrews 12:1

Thoughts like that are only an endless, dark pit of the mind - one into which the devil loves nudging Christians. If he can’t have our security and eternal souls, he sure enough tries to steal our joy and tempt us into as much sin as possible in the meantime.

Think about this- if we’re so busy comparing ourselves to others around us, if we’re so consumed with seeing if we measure up or somehow condemning them if we don’t, we’re sure not focused on telling those people about the Gospel. If our hearts are eaten up with “less than” and discontent, we’re not thinking about anything holy or eternal or Kingdom-minded. Yikes! I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be guilty about that. I don’t want the devil to win that battle.

Here’s what the Bible says about being content:

Philippians 4:12-13 (ESV) I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

1 Timothy 6:6 (ESV) But godliness with contentment is great gain.

Here’s the thing about comparison - you’ll never come out pride-free. Either you’ll fancy yourself better in some way and therefore entertain pride, or you’ll consider yourself lacking and invite pride to dwell in the form of a self-obsessed pity-party. (and trust me, no one RSVP's to those events!) There’s nothing attractive or edifying about either of those paths.

Consider the words of Paul in Galatians 5:7 (ESV) You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? When we look away from our path - when we cast our eyes away from the Lord and from Truth - we run out of our lane. We sway and swerve and stumble over the lies of the enemy.

We would do well to heed the warning in these Scriptures instead and turn our eyes toward Christ, the only Source of trust contentment - and the only true escape from the comparison trap.

Reflect on today’s verse with us. Share your thoughts in the Your Daily Bible Verse discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Tanya Joy


Betsy_headshotBetsy St. Amant Haddox is the author of over twenty romance novels and novellas. She resides in north Louisiana with her hubby, two daughters, an impressive stash of coffee mugs, and one furry Schnauzer-toddler. Betsy has a B.A. in Communications and a deep-rooted passion for seeing women restored to truth. When she’s not composing her next book or trying to prove unicorns are real, Betsy can be found somewhere in the vicinity of an iced coffee. She is a regular contributor to iBelieve.com and offers author coaching and editorial services via Storyside LLC. 

Related Resource: The Bible Explained - Read More of The Bible This Year!

Reading the Bible shouldn't be a chore; it should be fun! Grab your cup of coffee and tune in to The Bible Explained Podcast, where Jenn Kokal explains the Bible in a simplistic, approachable way. Each weekday morning, you will hear Jenn read and discuss Scripture in a way that you (probably) have never experienced before. Touted by many listeners as "The best Bible-reading podcast out there," you won't regret tuning in, especially if you are looking to deepen your knowledge about the Bible. Jenn's goal is to present the Bible straightforwardly, utilizing biblical cross-references, ancient history, and the Hebrew/Greek languages.

Ad banner for The Bible Explained Podcast with Jenn Kokal

 

Salem News Channel Today

Sponsored Links

On Air & Up Next

See the Full Program Guide