Comparison: Leads to Pride

Comparison is nothing new. It is the fallen man’s natural response to various situations. Comparison has one of two outcomes depending on the situation. It either leads to pride or self-pity/envy. However, one thing about comparison remains the same, it always kills joy. It takes away your ability to be thankful and grateful to God for your blessings at any given point in time. In this post we will be focusing on how comparison leads to pride.

The friendship between Jonathan and David is a perfect example of a relationship where comparison could have killed the joy of both parties. But that did not happen because both parties understood that it is God who ultimately controls our destinies. God chose David to be the king of Israel. Saul had ultimately been rejected by God which really meant that Jonathan, Saul’s son, would not be succeeding Saul as king. In the interactions that we see between Jonathan and David, Jonathan did not fall into the comparison trap. He did not lift himself up above David in pride by scorning David’s background. David was a handsome shepherd’s boy who did not own much. In contrast, Jonathan was the rightful heir to the  throne,  a young man brought up with a silver spoon. But instead of pride, we see Jonathan supporting David in times of difficulty. Even when Saul sought to kill David, Jonathan stepped in promising to support David (1 Samuel 20:1-23). Jonathan demonstrated his love to David by taking off his rob and giving it to David, including his armour, sword, bow and belt ( 1 Samuel 18:1-4). Not for a minute do we see Jonathan boasting about his background in order to elevate himself above David.  He did not engage in the game of comparison. David never elevated himself above Jonathan either. He could have boasted about how God chose him and not Jonathan. He could have emphasized that he is the ‘special one’ and Jonathan was the son of the rejected one. David could have lifted himself up in pride above Jonathan believing that his righteousness and humility qualified him to be king. He could have looked down on Saul and Jonathan and labelled them as the ‘rejected royal sinners’. Once again, we don’t see this attitude in David. All we see is humility and just how overwhelmed David was to be the chosen king.

Comparison is the fallen man’s natural response to various situations. Comparison leads to pride or self-pity/envy. It kills your joy and takes away your ability to be thankful and grateful to God for your blessings. Share on X

David had to be king because it was part of God’s plan and purpose. God still loved Jonathan, but in the story of the kingdom of Israel, Jonathan had a different role to play. God used Jonathan to protect the chosen King. The scriptures reveal that Jonathan wholeheartedly supported David, God’s chosen king. Why? Because He knew that all we do as God’s people is for His glory. Jonathan and David had every reason to compare themselves to each other but chose otherwise, a great lesson we should learn.

In contrast to the attitudes displayed in the friendship between Jonathan and David we see the perfect example of comparison leading to pride in the story Jesus outlines in Luke 18:9-14. Here we see a pharisee comparing himself to a tax collector. In pride, he lifts himself above the tax collector while praying because he had lived a ‘righteous life’.  When we read these verses, we are disappointed at how a human being can come to God and boast about his so-called righteousness. But the truth is that sometimes as God’s people, we display this type of attitude. We make it sound like we have earned certain things because of what we have done for the Lord in comparison to other people. We lift ourselves above other people around us because of our accomplishments, our assets, our backgrounds and talents.

We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.

2 Corinthians 10:12, NIV

The game of comparison is one that never ends. As a Christian, you must be determined not to play it. Some make comparisons and are boastful because they have a nice job, amazing car, beauty, wonderful spouses, perfect kids, intelligence and the list goes on. Now, don’t get me wrong, I believe that these good things should be celebrated. Thank the Lord for them! But be weary of comparison that leads to pride while you celebrate. Even the body of Christ is not left out, as the devil can use comparison to divide the Church. The attitude of the tax collector in Luke 18 is many times present within the church. For example, you may be a singer within your church choir and pride yourself in the fact that you have a nicer voice than the other choir members or maybe you are blessed with the gift of teaching and you boast in your ability forgetting that every gift comes from God. We must never forget that God gives us talents, positions and gifts not to show off but for His own glory. It is also for the edification of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12).

Your purpose is not to attempt to live a poorly copied version of someone else’s life, but to experience your life in a way that brings God glory and points people to Him

Anonymous

The question to ask yourself is who are you comparing yourself to? Are you lifting yourself above others around you? Are you consumed by pride because of your abilities or gifts? If you have identified that you are guilty of playing this game, repent. Pray for the person you compare yourself to and focus on pursuing what God calls you to do. If God has blessed you with gifts and resources, understand that they are to be used for His glory and for the edification of His children.

Follow up the second part of this topic : Comparison: The Road to Self-Pity and Envy