SEPTEMBER 6th…DON’T COMPARE!! JUST BE YOU!! Competition is something we are all familiar with. Culture teaches us to compare what we have to what other people have. Too many times, we judge ourselves by our level of financial and material success we have attained. I grew up competing with three other brothers, cousins, and neighbors in sports. Most were older than I was so I was continually striving to get as good as they were. I grew older and went to work in Avondale Mills in a department my uncle supervised. I worked until I could perform at or on a higher level than others in that department. Competition has always been such a part of our lives. We want to be better than someone else. Comparing ourselves to others is strictly a worldly attitude. In Christ, the only thing I have to do is be what God called and gifted me to be. I don’t have to be better than anyone because we are no in a competition. We are all part of God’s plan. We can be ourselves. (Galatians 5:6 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.) Once you know who you are in Christ, you are set free from the stress of comparison and competition. You know that in Christ, you have worth and value apart from any accomplishments you might have. We can give our best effort to glory God rather than trying to be better than another person. What a freedom it is to feel secure in Christ and not have to be controlled by strife, envy, and jealousy. God created you to be you and God has never made a mistake. Pastor Don