Devotionals - Marketplace Meditations 1/18

Competition in the Kingdom

January 18

"LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance" (Ps 16:5-6).

There is absolutely no place for competitiveness in ministry or marketplace activity if you understand God's view of receiving. The Scripture tells us that we are not only to bless our competition, but we are also called to bless our enemies.

The reason we can do this is because our security and provision is not based on posturing ourselves against another, but fulfilling what God has called us to do. When we take a proactive step to bless another, we actually apply a Kingdom principle that results in greater blessing to others, the Kingdom of God and even to ourselves.

Our ministry tries to help other ministries like ours. Some would say that we are in danger of losing "market share" or even our donors. This is the worldly model of competition. Those who cannot bless others are insecure in their own calling and insecure in God's ability to provide for their own enterprise.

God has already allocated His portion for you before the foundation of the world. You cannot out-give God. As you do your work unto Him God allows you to receive the fruit of your work.

"If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. . . The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you" (Deut 28:1-8).

Life is to be a lived vertically before the Lord, not horizontally. When we worry about the activities of others, we acknowledge our lack of faith in the One who called us.