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Life is not a Competition

Life is not a Competition

Last updated on: May 9, 2024 at 9:30 am by Faith E. Richardson

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Life is not a Competition 2024-04-04T15:52:37-06:00 Faith E. Richardson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

black and white photo Ladies running a race

Life is not a competition, Pixabay.com

Be Faithful

Life was not meant to be a race against all humanity. Nor is it a fight for status, position, wealth, or titles. It’s a privilege. It’s full of opportunities. God entrusts each of us with gifts and talents. If we don’t use them, we may lose them. He is faithful to us, and He expects us to be faithful to Him.

God’s Faithfulness

“God is alive! Praise Him who is the great rock of protection. He is the God who pays back those who harm me and subdues the nations before me.

He rescues me from my enemies; He holds me safely out of their reach and saves me from these powerful opponents.

For this, O Lord, I will praise you among the nations. Many times, you have miraculously rescued me, the king you appointed.

You have been loving and kind to me and will be to my descendants” (Psalm 18:46-50 ESV).

David was God’s anointed. He was given great power and leadership abilities and didn’t take them for granted, rather He thanked God for them. God rescued David from his enemies and gave him great victories in battle, and David responded in worship.

You, too, are God’s Anointed. (2 Corinthians 1:21)

You have gifts and talents, too. We all have something we’re good at. You didn’t get yours by accident. There is someone in the world today who needs you to use your gifts.

Jesus reminds us how important it is to use our gifts for good or we could lose them when he speaks the parable of the man going on a journey in Matthew.

Matthew 25:14-40 (Paraphrased)

The master calls his servants and entrusts his wealth to them. After some time, the master returns to settle his accounts.

The servant who received five bags of gold doubled it and the master was pleased, “Well done, good and faithful servant! I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness.”

Likewise, the servant who received two bags of gold doubled it and the master was pleased. “Well done, good and faithful servant! I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness.”

However, the third servant who was given only one bag of gold said, “I was afraid, so I hid your gold. Here it is. This is what is yours.” The master was not pleased. “You wicked and lazy servant. Give his gold to the servant who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more and whoever does not have what he has will be taken from him.”

God is Generous

He gives us an abundance of “gold.” This is not just a representation of money, but of our gifts and talents. Also, it represents our time, education, strength, intellect, influence, and opportunities.

I often find myself in the position of the third servant. I listen to Doubt and Fear when they tell me I’m not good enough. They remind me of my failures, so I don’t use my gifts. I “bury” them and go days, weeks, or months without glorifying God with the gifts He gives me.

Life is Not a Competition

What we do with the “gold” matters. Be faithful with whatever you have. It’s not a competition of who got more or less. It’s all about what you do with what you’re given. Be faithful.

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About Faith E. Richardson

Faith E. Richardson was born in Traverse City, Michigan. She lived there nine short years before moving with her mom to Fort Worth, Texas where she would remain for another eighteen years. After meeting Trent, the love of her life, they married and moved to Colorado where they raised their two children. Currently retired from decades of human resource work, Faith renewed her passion for writing. Her life experiences and dramatic flair for storytelling draw the reader in with thought-provoking material on the wonder and truth of spiritual encounters. It's her desire to get her readers as excited about the Holy Spirit as she is. You can read more about the author here.

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