II Corinthians 10:12 For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.
Don’t Compare!
We certainly live in a day of comparisons! They are forced upon us unbidden almost every day. Whether it is on social media, television, radio, or across the backyard fence, we are constantly being made aware of how we compare to people around us. We compare ourselves to the wealth, wardrobe, or family that others possess. That is a trap, and we don’t know how accurate our perceptions of others are. Sometimes, the people who are most deceived are those who are relying the most upon what they see.
II Corinthians 10 reminds us of a group of people who were very keen on commending themselves and comparing themselves to others. Verse 12 says, “For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.
By saying that such people are not wise this verse is saying that such people are foolish. It is a foolish thing to measure oneself by others. That is because success isn’t living up to or beyond others. God made you to glorify Him.
Verse 17 says, “But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.” God made you the way He made you for a reason. You are different from everyone else, and that is okay. It is a miserable place in life to look at what we perceive of others and then try to measure up or surpass what we see. C.S. Lewis said, “Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man.” That is so true. Don’t measure your life by to other people and where they are. Realize that God made you an individual, and that your success is to live in light of who He made you to be with the purpose and design of glorifying Him.