The Thief of Joy

By Pastor Jeffrey Smith 

“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18 NKJV

We live in a world of constant comparison. We’re bombarded with images of how wonderful everyone else’s lives are and it’s almost impossible not to compare your life to others’. Comparison always steals our joy and it inhibits us from living a life of obedience. You cannot live the life God’s called you to live if you’re obsessing over someone else’s life. Instead of coveting the lives of others, we should celebrate them. 

When we move past comparison, we are able to embrace the life God called us to live. We no longer spend our time ranking ourselves against others, but rather we seek out God’s will for us. We don’t convince ourselves that we’re superior or inferior, but rather we humbly embrace who we are.

“But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” James 4:6 NIV

The Bible teaches us that God gives favor to the humble. The height of your potential is determined by the depth of your surrender. Once we come to terms with the fact that we’re not as great as we think we are, we begin to see the favor of God. Humility is a key that unlocks the favor of God. Why? Because God knows only a humble person will handle His favor correctly. He favors us to favor others. It’s not always about you. You’re loved fully, and called to love fully. Humility is the posture that will allow you to receive all that God has for you. 

“Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life.” Proverbs 22:4 NIV