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Word4Today Daily Bible Devotional

by Bob and Debby Gass

‘Whenever they measure themselves by their own standards or compare themselves among themselves, they show how foolish they are.’ 2 Corinthians 10:12 ISV

Does this sound familiar? ‘You think your day was tough? I dealt with thirty complaining customers before lunch!’ It’s easy to get sucked into ‘The Martyr’s Contest’, where your problems are worse than everybody else’s. And if you’re not careful, it can overtake your life.

The problem is, when we compare ourselves and strive to make ourselves always look more hard done-by than others, we can damage our relationship. So with that in mind:

(1) Be alert for unspoken pleas for encouragement. When your friends express frustration, don’t counter with one-up-manship. Jesus said, ‘Listen… if you have ears!’ (Mark 4:9 GNT) What your friends need is assurance that they can handle the problem.

(2) Express appreciation often. Envision your friends wearing a sign that says, ‘Appreciate me!’ The fact that society is inclined towards taking people for granted and not honouring them for themselves doesn’t give you the right to do the same. Jesus said, ‘Do to others what you would have them do to you,’ (Matthew 7:12 NIV), so appreciate others if you want to be appreciated.

(3) Reinforce people’s efforts to help. Don’t criticise the way they do things. When you do, you guarantee they won’t try to do it again. Think of a four-pronged fork:

(a) Be respectful of one another’s work.

(b) Recognise that while your jobs are different, they can both be difficult.

(,) Be sensitive, and flexible enough to help when it’s not ‘your job’ or ‘your turn’.

(d) Outlaw the complaint, ‘I’m tired.’ It’s counter-productive, and chances are you are all tired of hearing it!

SoulFood: Rev 15–18, Mark 14:12–26, Ps 124, Pr 12:26

word4today an adaptation of The Word For Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright 2024

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