This is the Question

John 21:20-23

Eric Hoffer once said, "A man is likely to mind his own business when it is worth minding. When it is not, he takes his mind off his own meaningless affairs by minding other people's business."

“If I have him tarry ‘til I come, what is that to you?” Jesus asked Peter.

Lately I’ve had conversations with people about what other people are doing. They’re not doing this, or they are doing that…They should be doing this, or they shouldn’t be doing that. I’m guilty as everyone else.

I’ve been learning lately that it doesn’t matter what the other guy is doing…what am I doing?

Remember the speck and the plank?

When we spend time comparing ourselves with others, we end up either feeling inferior or superior, neither of which God wants from us. We are his children, his workmanship, created for good works. We are saved by His Grace through faith, not by works lest any man should boast.
But we are not to browbeat ourselves into thinking we are not good enough. To be truthful, none of us is good enough. That’s why Jesus died on the Cross for us.

Problem with comparing yourself is you.

There is a line from a movie called “School 4 Scoundrels” that asks the question, “How many of you own self help books?” After the students raise their hands, the teacher responds, “Well they won’t help, because ‘self’ sucks.”

I don’t know what God has planned for you. I don’t know what direction God is taking you in. All I can do is encourage you to seek Jesus first and go where He leads.

We all fail miserably in some way or another. That’s why Jesus died on the cross.

I was told a story once about DL Moody, who wanted to meet Charles Spurgeon. When Moody got to England from America, he went to Spurgeon’s house. Spurgeon opened the door smoking a cigar. Moody looked at him and said, “How can you, a man of God, be smoking that?” Spurgeon responded, “How can you, a man of God,” pokes Moody who was rather portly in the gut, “be a glutton.”

Pride is one of God’s greatest pet peeves. Why? Because most of us don’t recognize it. We believe others to be bad, but compared to what? God? Yes. Ourselves? No. We are no better. We are all sinners in need of a savior.

Sin is sin. All of us fall short. If we focus on Loving God, and loving our neighbor…this is what we are to do. We love our neighbor by sharing Jesus in our own simple ways.

It’s easier to sit on the sidelines and talk about how wrong others are, instead of getting involved in the battle and showing and sharing how right Jesus is. To love or not to love, that is the question. To share Jesus or not.

When we lose sight of Jesus, we lose sight of the most meaningful thing in our lives. If people are not behaving the way we think they should, are we willing to love them anyway? If someone is being self righteous, are we willing to love them anyway? Are we willing to love those around us? This is truly the question.