My Dog is Bigger Than Your Dog..

We live in a “competitive” environment, but we are not to compete with our neighbor.  We are to love our neighbor as ourselves.  It sort of reminds me of that song,

My dog's faster than your dog,

My dog's bigger than yours.

My dog's better 'cause he gets Ken-L Ration,

My dog's better than yours.

We as believers are not in competition with each other.   I’ve had several people complain to me they had a relative or someone they know who lost their wife or husband in death, and they were dating at seven months.  They thought that was horrid.  

Although, I would not recommend dating divorced or after death for at least one year, we are not to put ourselves as a measuring stick against each other.

We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. 2 Cor. 10:12

Since it says that it’s not “wise” to our compare ourselves than I’ll concur to try to stay away from it since wisdom is something to be desired.

How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver! Proverbs 16:16

Same when it comes to getting over certain addictions such as getting an operation to lose weight (food addiction), smoking cigarettes, drugs or alcohol.  I don’t really see any difference.  For some it seems to be sexual sin. Some people seem to be better at celibacy than others. 

I’ve heard some people say “if that is a Christian I don’t want to be one as far as something a person does they don’t agree with.”  I used that one too when I was a non-believer.  Jesus said, “You that are without sin cast the first stone.”  We are quick to make comparisons among ourselves and throw stones.

I think a reason that adultery is mentioned in the Ten Commandments because it involves another innocent party whereas sexual immorality is not in the Ten Commandments, but it is mentioned as sin in both the Old Testament and in the New Testament to abstain and flee sexual immorality.

Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. Acts 15:20

Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. 1 Peter 2:11

But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Ephesians 5:3

Jesus warned Peter that as he was older he was going to go places that he did not want to go and one was to die for his faith.  When Peter wanted to know what John was going to do, Jesus told him what John does was Jesus business that he was to “come and follow him.”

So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, "Lord, and what about this man?" Jesus said to him, "If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!" Therefore this saying went out among the brethren that that disciple would not die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but only, "If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?"…John 21:22

Joel Osteen did a good sermon about running our own race recently.  Being happy with the road that God has us on.  The Lord spoke to me that he has me on a detour road since I lost my spouse.  I heard a good message recently on it’s like a GPS device that at times we have a “course correction” in life to go on a different hi-way.

I’ve seen widows get remarried like Ruth in the Bible that were younger and then I’ve seen some like Naomi who decided to focus on grandchildren and they were too old to get remarried.  I’ve seen some that had more of a difficult time like Johnny Cash in losing his wife, and they only lasted a few weeks or a few years.

I’ve seen people divorced decide like I did that I wanted help with raising my four young daughters and then I’ve met some people that raised their children on their own and are seeking to get remarried now that their children are grown. 

We are warned “not” to use a measuring stick (ourselves) against others.  I run into this problem with people on a continual basis.  It becomes judgmental. 

"Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. Luke 6:37