Stop comparing yourself to others (Day Laborers in the vineyard Matthew 20:1-16)

Stop comparing yourself to others (Day Laborers in the vineyard Matthew 20:1-16)
The parable of the labors in the vineyard opens our eyes to a problem that we have in our society; we love to compare ourselves to others. We are constantly looking around at our co-workers, neighbors, family, friends, and media to see how we stack up to everyone else. The workers in the vineyard who had worked all day was certain that they deserved more than the worker who only worked an hour because they had compared their workload. The problem with comparing ourselves to others is that we make others the standard in which we must live up to. This is a major problem in Christianity today, because we look at the world around us as the standard when we should be looking to Jesus and the Word of God as our standard. It is easy to look at the person next to you and say that I am a better person than them because you pick them apart with a fine-tooth comb until you are satisfied that you have more value and are better off than they are. The problem with this mentality is you develop an elitist attitude towards those around you and you have false sense of security in your own spiritual life.
God never intended for us to ever compare ourselves to each other, His intention was always for us to compare ourselves to His standards. In fact, the very reason God gave His law was to show us our blemishes and weaknesses. This way we would see how messed up we were and how hopeless we are without the help of a savior (Jesus). James chapter one (1:23-25) compares God’s word to a mirror that shows us our blemishes, if we see our blemishes and correct them then we are wise but if we see the blemishes and ignore them then we are fools. God’s standard for us is not for us to be better than our neighbor, co-worker, or fellow church goers; His standard is for us to be Holy (1 Peter 1:16, Leviticus 11:44). This is only attainable through an active relationship with Jesus Christ and the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in your life. We must stop comparing ourselves to others and begin comparing ourselves to God’s standard, His Word.