Rivalry and Rebellion

James 3:16

I am not good at sports. Any of you who know me know how true this really is. I was on the chess team, not the football team. But, one thing I did like about the sports culture either in school or in the college culture is rivalries. I have always found it fascinating that people will judge an entire campus of students and their respective fans as enemies just because of the name of the school and the success of their football team. Now, for most college football fans, rivalries are a nice way to express team spirit. But some take it too far and actual have real feelings of hate for other football fans. Even outside of the gridiron, rivalries can be powerfully destructive to friendships, families, and the like. James addresses this idea again directly when he makes another pass at the concepts of jealousy and selfish ambition. Yesterday we saw that both of these feelings stem from the root of defining the quality of our lives by comparison to others. Yet, in our reading today, James takes it a step further. When you find someone who has jealousy and selfish ambition in their life, you will find someone who is living in rebellion and likely authorizes or justifies sin in their own life. That's right, living a life that defines your happiness by its measurement to others will lead directly to sin! Now, think about how dangerous Instagram could be for our young people. The Bible's wisdom is ageless and we must be prepared to take a hard look at the truth that it tries to relay to us. Our futures are hanging in the balance. 

Prayer: 
Holy Spirit, please speak to my heart, lead me in my mind, and give me the courage to stand against the tide of culture and live to please You and no one else. Help me rescue and redeem my mind from the lie that I will only be happy if I compare myself to others. Amen. 

Reflection: 
What areas of your life are you still comparing to others? 
Why do you do this? 
What is the fruit from that root?