Greetings to you, dear readers, on this wonderful day! God does new things every day, and His mercies are renewed every morning! We have been talking about the fact that many people have wrong motives in this life. We have marked out two types of motives: materialism and love of money. We saw that these two things are essentially very close; the difference is that one focuses on things, but the other one – on money. Let’s look at some more wrong motives, for example: Spirit of competition . Some people are moved by the desire to prove to others what they can do. Those that are moved by this spirit can’t be still if they see someone else doing better than them. These people continually try to prove something to others, because they compare themselves to others all the time. They live according to someone else’s schedule since they do not have their own. The word of God said this is a wrong attitude:
«For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise» (2 Corinthians, 10:12).
It is not wise to compare yourself to others. You will never become what God has designed you to be and discover you calling in God if you continually compare yourself to other people. We are so different, and every one of us has been called to do something else; so we do not need to compare ourselves to others. We must get to know God and what He wants for each one of us to do. We should not do what others do. Of course, I can learn something from other people and they can serve as a source of encouragement to me. But I must not be led by the spirit of competition, because this spirit steals our joy. A person that is led by the spirit of competition is not able to rejoice in the success of others. They usually humiliate others and belittle their accomplishments so that they would look better comparing to them. A person that is free of this spirit is able to rejoice in the success of others and even help them to get establish in life. Again and again we should check what it is that controls and motivates us! If you are irritated by the success of other people and are not able to rejoice with them, then you are led by the spirit of competition. Another wrong motive in this life is: Desire to be accepted . Often people are willing to do unwise things in order to be accepted, to impress others and to gain their approval. Often people say polished, puffed-up phrases to please others and to be praised and accepted by them. They follow the crowd and are ready to lie, instead of standing for the truth and righteousness because the latter sometimes can turn out to be a very lonely position. They are afraid of rejection, so they do what is popular and pleasing to the crowd. So often these people – whether they are our relatives, friends, co-workers, and neighbours – want to shape you after the image they have created in their minds. If you are moved by the desire to be accepted by others, then you will be continually working to match the image they have created for you. Apostle Paul had said by the Holy Spirit that if you are a people pleaser, then you won’t even become a servant of God. If you want to please people, then you won’t be able to please God: «For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ. But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me if not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it. And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers. But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood» (Galatians, 1:10-16).
Strive to please God and seek His favour! We will continue tomorrow! God bless you! Pastor Rufus Ajiboye
