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Have you ever thought about the consequences of comparing yourself to people that you think are better than you are? The parable of the talents gives us clear indication of just how dangerous it is to do that.

You remember in this parable that the third servant was given only one talent, and he decided not to try to do anything with it. After all, compared to what the others had, what could he do with one measly talent? But notice what happened to this third servant as a result of his attitude—of comparing himself to those who had more:

  1. First, we notice that it made him fearful. He was afraid to lose the talent he had, since he compared and saw that he had only one. Knowing that the master was demanding and expected him to multiply his talents, he decided to dig a hole and hide it. That fear led him to a very irrational, unreasonable course of action.
  2. Second, he became lazy. The master called him a lazy servant. When we compare ourselves to others who have more than we do, this will frequently happen. We lose our motivation, we lose our initiative, and we become lazy.
  3. Third, it led him into sin. The master identified him as wicked, because he had failed to do what he knew he should do. In James 4:17 we read: “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”
  4. Fourth, he lost what he had. His worst fear was realized; the master took his one talent and gave it to the man with ten.
  5. Fifth, he lost his reward. Had he multiplied his one talent into two, had he been as good a steward of what he had as the others, he would have received the same reward as the others. But he lost his reward because he compared himself to those who had more, and that made him fearful and lazy.

The consequences of comparing ourselves to others who we think are better than us, or have more than we do are incredibly devastating. Could it be that you’ve been doing that lately and you’re living with some of these consequences now? Ask God to deliver you and determine to bring your thoughts into captivity and not compare yourself to others.