When comparison takes over - 16 August 2026

Dear friends of BCUC, If you are looking for examples of the perfect family in the bible you need to search pretty hard. Genesis 4 is all about Adam and Eve’s grown up kids. The consequences of bad decisions quickly escalate. The oldest son kills his younger brother out of jealousy because it seemed to Cain that God looked more favourably upon Abel’s offering. Having been warned by God to “watch out because sin is crouching at your door, eager to control you”. Cain ignores God's advice and the result is murder. This is not a happy story. However, if you examine it carefully, you will find that God’s response is justice, judgment and grace, not anger.  How well do we deal with temptation? Cain lets his anger control him; anger caused by jealousy, jealousy caused by comparing himself to someone else, and comparison that leads him to desire what someone else has. Instead of seeking God’s favour for himself, he would rather see the other person lose it. Have things changed that much for humanity? How many times do we compare ourselves to others and think, “I wish I was as blessed as they are”? We forget the first line of Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” It is trust in God that brings contentment with life. Contentment with God does not mean abandoning holy ambition or zeal in prayer and action: “your kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven.” But that holy ambition needs to be checked with the question: Am I comparing myself to others? In 1441 Thomas Kempis, and Augustinian monk wrote “temptations are more easily overcome if they are never allowed to enter our minds. Meet them at the door as soon as they knock”. He emphasised “the key to victory is true humility and patience” alongside prayer and the help of the Holy Spirit.  This Sunday we will take a deep dive into the pattern of temptation and sin that was first set up in Eden. The result for this first family is that they move further and further away from Eden, and from a trusting relationship with each other and with God. Thanks to Jesus and the help of the Holy Spirit, God draws us back into that relationship that sin disrupts. I look forward to seeing you Sunday, Benji