Soul Scientist

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV  For our sake [God] made [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in [Jesus] we might become the righteousness of God.

God needs nothing from me but gave everything for me. Nothing can compare with the gracious gift of Jesus as payment for my sin.

There are so many ways I can be distracted from that truth. Those distractions, even good ones, can keep me from choosing to focus on the peace found in believing God is for me, with me, and in me as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And losing sight of truth can make me think nothing is possible for me rather than believing nothing is impossible with God (see Luke 1:37).

One of the greatest thieves of peace is the lie of comparison. Comparison wants me to believe that God’s plan for me isn’t enough for good to be done in and with my life. Comparison wants me to believe that I must control my life for myself, not surrender my life to my God.

Yet the truth of Scripture says the opposite. When I let loose of my life to God, He reminds me that He never will let loose of me (see John 10:28-29). But when I choose the lie of comparison, I die a little bit more daily to its crippling chokehold on God’s gifts to and in me. And dying daily to comparison keeps me from the dying I’m supposed to be doing daily for Christ’s life to be seen in, through, and from me (see Galatians 2:20).

Any voice in my head or heart other than God’s stifles His voice speaking to me and the voice He has placed in me to speak of Him. His still small voice inside me is essential every day (1 Kings 19:12 KJV21). It’s vital in declaring His will, His way, His wisdom, and His working for His worth and His wonder made evident in worship of Him.

I can’t confidently proclaim Christ as Lord of my life when I’m claiming comparison as the measuring rod for my life. I can’t hear God’s still small voice for my life when I’m caught up in comparison of my life.

Comparison keeps me in fear while the confidence of Christ holds me in faith.   

Have you found the lie of comparison is true for your life, too? If so, what choices do you make to combat comparison in your life?

All of us here would love to hear your responses to those questions in the comments below. Thank you for sharing the wisdom our Good God has given you.

This was an excerpt from the “Count it all joy – you’ve got to be joking!” series on thriving in suffering I’ll be teaching at West Jackson Baptist Church (WJBC) starting May 28th at 6pm. This series will be in the Generations Hall at WJBC. WJBC is located at 580 Oil Well Rd., Jackson, TN 38305. If you can’t make it in-person, all 5 nights of the series will be recorded and available to you for free. Please come (or watch) and bring a friend (or 3)!

written by and copyrighted to Beth Madison, Ph.D., 2025.