Don't Let Them Outdo You!

Romans 12:10
Love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor.

When I played football in High School one of the ways the coach would motivate the starters was to lift up the younger, hungrier players as examples in practice during drills. I was 4’11’ and 90lbs going up against 5’9’ 150 pound guys with everything I had. Coach would say, “Look at Spencer’s heart; ya’ll going to let this little guy outdo you?” How could someone not even starting, smaller, and less talented outdo these gifted athletes? Heart.

In relationships, it ought to be our goal to outdo one another. There should be competition in marriage, on staff, on teams. Yes, I said it! You ought to outdo the person you work with, on a team with, married to. Don’t you let them outdo you. Hey man, how you going to let that little woman you're married to outdo you. Hey woman how you going to let that big old man you work with outdo you? You ought to outdo the person you care about and especially the ones you don’t like.

Two things you ought to do to make your goal today in your relationships, be they work related or personal:

1) Love one another with mutual affection. This love is agape love, a self-less love characteristic of God. This means you have to love people you don’t feel like loving by looking out for their best interests without waiting on them to move first. Not withholding good when it is in your power to do so. It must be mutual affection. Love is a two way street and in order for a marriage to work affection must be reciprocal.

2) Outdo one another in showing honor. Every day you should wake up trying to figure out how you are going to outdo the people you are in relationship with in showing honor. “I’m going to wake up earlier and have breakfast waiting for them. I’m going to get there before everybody else and have coffee ready. I’m going to randomly call them in the middle of the day just to tell them how wonderful they are to me.” Don’t let them outdo you in showing honor.

The good thing about this competition is that everybody wins. It’s not about how big you are, how gifted you are, how much money you have, but it’s about how big your heart is!

Dear God, help me to outdo the ones I love today by showing honor. Forgive me for falling behind in the love department. I’m ready to give it everything I can. I’m stepping up my game this morning!

In Jesus Name,
Amen.