People often compare themselves to others or compete with others in order to find or to re-affirm their value. In a previous post,https://abudaud.com/2019/03/09/a-loving-god-gives-value-to-each-person/ , I wrote that an individual’s value comes from God, and is infinite. We do not have to do anything to find, prove or affirm it.
The following verse indicates that those that try to find their value relative to others do not understand God’s way of ascribing our value to us — He made and loves us.
12 For we are not bold to number or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves. But they themselves, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves with themselves, are without understanding. 2 Corinthians 10:12 WEB
Understanding God’s value system makes comparison unnecessary because His love for you makes your worth infinite. The following verse, which uses “provoke” in the sense of “challenge”, indicates that we should not even challenge each other — we don’t have to. I’m not suggesting not playing sports. Instead, I am saying that we find our value in God’s love for us rather than trying to find value by overcoming another in a real or imagined contest.
26 Let’s not become conceited, provoking one another, and envying one another. Galatians 5:26 WEB
Philippians 2:3-4 contains a similar prohibition against rivalry:
3 doing nothing through rivalry or through conceit, but in humility, each counting others better than himself; 4 each of you not just looking to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others.
Philippians 2:3-4 WEB
Having infinite value, and knowing that others share that same value, makes it possible to count others better than yourselves. You are God’s completely loved masterpiece, so you do not need to create a system of comparisons and competitions to find out or prove how much you are worth. God gave you value when He created you, and proved that love by paying the ultimate price for each individual through Jesus’ death on the cross.
A future post (“The hallmark of a Christian…”) will cover how Christians, knowing their infinite value, should direct their energies.
Keywords: God loves you, relationship, value, competition, simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ