"Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your
eye envious because I am generous?" Mt. 20:15

The only comparison allowed in the kingdom of God is comparison against
oneself. The kingdom of God functions on an individualized system of justice
and reward in which each member is tried on the merits of His own
faithfulness and obedience to the Spirit of God against a Father-ordained
potential. This is contrary to the earthly system which is built on a
socialized standard of justice. In the socialized system, fairness is
determined corporately rather than individually. Statements such as "It is
only fair if it is fair for everybody" and "If I do it for you, I have to do
it for everyone" are examples of the socialized standard of justice. In this
system, rewards are meted out by objective standards to which all are
subject, and comparisons are conducted to make sure it is so.

But in the kingdom of God, fairness is determined on a basis of unique
personal covenantal appointment between the Lord and each of His followers.
In this system, comparison of rewards and positions between and among
members is illegal. This is taught by the parable of the vineyard workers
(Mt. 20) and is repeatedly demonstrated through Christ's other lessons to
the disciples. All positions in the kingdom of God are by appointment of the
Father over the course of the generations and ages according to His
sovereign placement of us in the time continuum (vineyard). We have nothing
to say about these placements. We do not know how our placement in time
affects what is possible to us in our final position in the kingdom. The
only thing we can know is that we have a certain covenanted potential and it
is our desire to fulfill that potential, no matter what "position" that
potential has the capacity to be revealed as in the manifest kingdom.

Over and over we are taught that our weighting and judgment by the Lord is
to be on a unique individual basis of fulfilled personal obedience and
achieved personal potential. That is the point of the parable of the talents
(Mt. 25). It is the point of the Lord's word that "I will render to every
one of you according to your works." And it is the point behind Paul's
exhortations that "they who compare themselves with others are not wise" and
none of us must "judge another man's servant."

Comparison and Competition Vs. Servanthood and Unity

The spirit of comparison gives birth to spiritual competition with others.
Spiritual competition is a form of envy. The spirit of competition within
the disciplehood undercuts the other values that mark the kingdom and
cripples ability to live by them and fulfill true Father-ordained potential.
Specifically, competition is in direct opposition to servanthood and to
unity. It is impossible to serve those with whom one is competing for
kingdom position and relational favor in God's eyes. It is in turn
impossible to maintain a spirit of unity with them. It is impossible to work
together with those with whom we feel the need to prove something about the
maturity of our spiritual knowledge or the advanced state of our walk with
God in relation to those with whom we labor.

Christ exemplified true servanthood and laid the ground work for true unity
in the brotherhood. He was able to do this only by "making Himself of no
reputation." In other words, He gave up all claim to comparative self image,
which is what "reputation" is. He stuck to His own course and never left it
to look at the course of others. To be sure, He had goals. A "joy" and a
"crown" was set before Him to obtain. But He made no reputation within
Himself based on that destiny, and never measured His destiny against that
of another.

But the disciples did not know how to do this. More than anything, the
spirit of competition was behind their problems as a team. As the Lord's
closest followers, their concept of "greatness" was rooted in their sense of
fraternal comparison relative to Him. This is why they argued among
themselves who should be "greatest in the kingdom" and continued to approach
the Lord regarding their placement relative to Him in contrast with the
others. Even after the resurrection, Peter still struggled, asking the Lord,
"And what shall this man do?"

But in the kingdom, greatness is not comparatively measured. Greatness does
not mean "greater than so-and-so." To get this across, Jesus told the
followers if they would be great, they must be servant to all. Get this. He
is not saying that greatness is found through servanthood-as if to say, "if
you want to be greater than the others, then serve them." He is saying,
"True greatness-which is non-comparative-is proven by your ability to
serve." Only the non-comparatively great have the grace to serve others and
demonstrate agape unity. Serving does not "make us greater than those who do
not serve." Rather, practicing servanthood proves we are being established
in that personal self-standing non-comparative greatness measured only by
the Father's evaluation of us.

The Vineyard Workers and the Elder Brother

Christ directly exposes the comparison spirit in the parable of the vineyard
workers. Each worker is hired at a different time and bears a different
measure of the day's labor. Yet each is paid the "same" wage. In the
socialized justice system, this is obviously unfair and even illegal.
Companies can be shut down for paying different wages for the same work. But
in the individualized system, it is eminently fair and just. The master
promises to pay "each" that "which is right." The wage is individually
negotiated without respect to the wage negotiated with another, without
regard to a corporate standard regarding the work load. But the comparison
spirit in the early workers leads them to envy the later workers who are
paid the "same" wage. In reality, they were not paid the "same" wage. The
concept of "sameness" is irrelevant because there is no comparison in the
individualized system of reward by which the word "same" applies. Each was
simply paid "that" which "each" was "covenanted" with the master. That is
the point of the parable.

The Lord wants us to understand the individualized justice system of the
kingdom. He especially wants Peter to understand this, as He has just come
off telling Peter what Peter will receive as a result of having been
faithful to follow him: "You who give up everything for me will receive all
this." In telling Peter this, He does not want to stoke Peter's flames of
comparative justice ["Good, we get all this. The rest of those faithless
suckers get nothing!"] So the Lord immediately explains the non-comparative
system of reward.

The parable of the prodigal son also provides a striking example of the
comparison spirit in the disciple hearted. Like the early workers in the
vineyard parable, the elder brother removes his eyes from His Father to
compare his faithfulness with this returning prodigal brother. This produces
envy and resentment in him. It also undercuts his otherwise stellar
performance in service to His Father. Had he no sense of comparison, the
elder brother would not have been offended at the feast thrown for his
returned brother, but would have gladly participated in it with His Father
and the rest of the servants. He would have realized his brother's return
had no impact on his own standing with his Father.

The Comparison Spirit and Prophetic Discipleship Today

Comparison still remains the lurking pitfall to faithful discipleship.
(Check out the prophetic internet and you'll understand what I mean.)
Disciples are strivers for perfection, as we should be. But our "Achilles
heel" is our equal but less recognized struggle with the poison of
comparison with the "unfaithful" and our inability to put ourselves at their
service. In discipleship circles, the comparison spirit is so rife that the
word "church" itself has essentially become the spiritual equivalent of a
"four letter word." Derogatory pronouncements about "the church-this" and
"the church-that" abound, underneath which is that unspoken word, "but we,
the faithful ones..the 'remnant'...are not like that."

We are also dogged by our pursuit of "spiritual positions" of glory akin to
the first disciples. Our endeavor to be part of the "Bride," or "the
manifest sons" or the "144,000" or the "manchild" is in spirit oft no
different than the quest of James and John to "sit on Your right hand and on
your left." But the fact is all these positions are by appointment of the
Father according to the potential worked out in the appointed. We ultimately
do not know to what position we have been appointed. What we do know is we
have a unique potential to achieve, and it is to this alone we must be
ultimately faithful-regardless what revelation God gives us on these
glorified positions and a desire to attain to them. Our ultimate position
will reveal itself in due course. Our pursuit must ultimately be of Him. As
long as we strive for these positions per se in their own right, we can't
prove ourselves in the servanthood unity by which our potential is truly
fulfilled, and whatever our position was to have been may be forfeited.

A Word to My Fellow Disciples

Our lot as disciples is no easier today than it was for the first disciples,
even though we have all their lessons to teach us. Their lessons remain as
imperative to us as ever. We are not farther from them but closer to them!
For as we all close in on Zion's pinnacle and the Lord's actual appearing,
we are closer to touching each other's unique courses in Him and can easily
interfere with one another rather than learn from one another. We can still
yield to those subtle nagging inner comparisons and secret competitions with
one another for His approval, His reward, His position. It's overcoming this
challenge that brings us finally into that perfected circle of heavenly
eldership.

We must keep pressing on then to learn these lessons even more deeply.
Personally, as I get closer Christ and therefore closer to you in your
pursuit of Christ, I want to do so free from comparison and competition with
you! I want to prove I can serve you and have unity with you as a fellow
pursuer of our Lord's excellence no matter where you are on the mountain's
other side of wholesome revelation relative to me. My "greatness" in the
Lord's kingdom is not measured by your "lack of greatness," the wages for my
kingdom labor are not pegged to the wages for your kingdom labor, and the
Father's appointed position for me is not in conflict with yours! Our
courses are very unique and personal. We are ascending Zion from different
approaches. But we are on the same mountain and the same team.

So as the summit nears, let's encourage one another in what remains to us
each of our races, and overcome the remaining distracting temptations to
competitions of maturities among ourselves and comparisons with the "less
faithful church."

I just want to highlight a missed nuance behind Jesus' statement
to the disciples: "But many who are first will be last, and the last first."
(Mt. 19:30.) The Lord gives this word right between His promise of reward to
Peter for his faithfulness and his cautionary parable about the vineyard
workers. In other words, this word speaks specifically to disciples about
the issue of discipleship comparison.

When Jesus says here "the first will be last," he's not talking
about the Pharisees who hypocritically believe they will be "first" while
the sinners are "last." He's talking now to the disciples who believe they
will be "first" because they have been faithful to "bear the heat of the
day" where others have not been as faithful or suffered as much will be
"last." Jesus is saying that prophetic disciples who compare their
faithfulness with those of less faithfulness, and who measure the "maturity
of their word" against that of other prophetic disciples will find
themselves last in God's sight.

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There are two hurdles to prophetic discipleship. The first is to
answer the call to obedient discipleship at all. We know most believers fail
this call. The second however is to steadfastly reject comparing our own
obedience and maturity of revelation to that of others once we answer the
call of absolute surrender. In the realm of internet writing and
relationship I traverse, this is the greater problem I encounter and must
face within myself.

We must especially learn how to deal with the comparison issue
before we can trustworthily speak about error and disobedience in the larger
church. Comparison is the "log" we must first pull from our own eyes. It is
the root essence of the "judging" that is forbidden to us and disqualifies
us from the selfless objective "righteous judgment" we are commanded to
judge. So, as the faithful ones that you all are, I encourage you to really
meditate on this.