Who are you? What is your assignment? What piece of God’s big plan do you fill? How about the people around you? Where do they fit in? Who are you to them, and them to you? Or do you think you can succeed at pleasing God by living in isolation? Brothers and sisters, let’s love one another like a healthy family and fight side-by-side like a well-trained army. Let’s stay in our lane and help others when we can. Here’s a biblical example of a man who did:

Take a look at John the Baptist. He was unique in what he looked like, where he lived, what he ate, and how he dressed. His work and message were unique. John knew his assignment from God, including some details. He put his heart into his task. John didn’t try to expand his assignment beyond its limits. Rather, he had a deep sense of satisfaction in seeing his work completed and the next piece of God’s larger plan commence.

So, John didn’t get jealous of Jesus. He spotlighted him. Even as John’s prominence decreased, he experienced heart-felt satisfaction knowing he’d been faithful to prepare the world for Jesus and Jesus for the world.

John had this wisdom, a humble attitude: He knew a person can only have what God has ordained for him. He loved, respected and served the Lord Almighty. John was satisfied to live yielded to his Maker. He didn’t rebel by rejecting God’s plan, or presumptuously push it by trying to make it more of it than God had intended. He didn’t jealously try to hang onto his fading popularity. His visible loss of numbers was his spiritual gain in eternal reward. God’s  Kingdom benefited. He celebrated.

A life lived, so yielded, accumulates rich everlasting rewards. Whatever a self-serving life may accumulate will disintegrate and blow away with the wind. The choice is ours, daily. Who will we serve? Will we rejoice having fulfilled our purpose? There are rewards in heaven given to those who serve the Lord.

So, let us give our feelings of insecurity, inadequacy, competitiveness, and jealousy to Jesus Christ. Let’s let go of comparisons and receive deeper understanding of our own personal journey. Each of us is uniquely crafted at a given time, with a particular personality and appearance with specific abilities for the Lord’s purpose and its associated assignments. Those plans were put into place before we were born.

As long as we are on the planet, it is never too late to align ourselves with the plans he has for us. We have a new opportunity to choose Him and His will with every breath we take.

God doesn’t compare one person to another in the way that humans do. God doesn’t reward the faithful obedience of those with higher status, wealth, or position more than he rewards the obedience of someone of humble circumstances. Obedience is obedience at whatever level. The Lord looks at our hearts. He examines our motives. He knows us. He gives to us what we’re capable of handling and he’s most concerned about us learning to love.

The Father cares for all his children; those who trust in his Son. He has given all judgment over his kids to his Son Jesus Christ. We will be judged one day, NOT like unbelievers are judged. One day his kids will appear before the judgment seat of Christ. At that time, we’ll be rewarded for whatever we did in Him, with Him, through Him, and for Him. So, let’s pray for deep assurance of His love, clear understanding of who we are, what our purpose is, and the nature of our assignments. Let’s run the race set out for us, arm-in-arm, while loving each other, keeping God’s bigger picture in mind.

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