The Comparison Trap – July 13, 2025
Pastor Ken Hart
Then the people of Ephraim asked Gideon, “Why have you treated us this way? Why didn’t you send for us when you first went out to fight the Midianites?” And they argued heatedly with Gideon. But Gideon replied, “What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren’t even the leftover grapes of Ephraim’s harvest better than the entire crop of my little clan of Abiezer? God gave you victory over Oreb and Zeeb, the commanders of the Midianite army. What have I accomplished compared to that?” When the men of Ephraim heard Gideon’s answer, their anger subsided. Judges 8:1-3 (NLT)
Self-defined expectation gaps become the worst of all comparison traps.
And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:1 (NLT)
The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!” “Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.” Judges 6:12-13 (NLT)
- Comparing to my unmet expectations instead of God’s expectations traps me in rejection.
Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!” Judges 6:14 (NLT)
“But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!” Judges 6:15 (NLT)
- Comparing to my unmet expectations instead of God’s expectations traps me in mistaken identity.
The Lord said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.” Judges 6:16 (NLT)
- Comparing to God’s expectations instead of my unmet expectations breaks me free of all traps.
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