- RSS FeedSubscribe
- « Previous PostFree Stuff Fridays
- Next Post »Evening Praise
Humbly Rejoicing in the Goodness of Others
- 02/21/09
- 14
As I read John Piper’s book Finally Alive I came across a lot of godly wisdom. But there was one quote that, more than the others, jumped out at me. I thought I’d share it with you today…
*****
This is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. (1 John 3:11-14)
Now this specific form of love in verse 12 may seem to you to be totally unneeded. “Don’t be like Cain who murdered his brother.” Am I really concerned that there will be a spate of murders among Christians? No. And I don’t think John feared that either, though it does happen. He doesn’t focus on the murder. He asks in verse 12, “And why did he murder him?” That’s John’s concern. There is something about Cain’s motive that he thinks will be relevant to the way believers love each other.
He answers at the end of verse 12: “Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous.” What John is saying here is not merely that love doesn’t kill a brother, but that love doesn’t feel resentful when a brother is superior in some spiritual or moral way. Cain didn’t kill Abel simply because Cain was evil. He killed him because the contrast between Abel’s goodness and Cain’s evil made Cain angry. It made him feel guilty. Abel didn’t have to say anything; Abel’s goodness was a constant reminder to Cain that he was evil. And instead of dealing with his own evil by repentance and change, he got rid of Abel. If you don’t like what you see in the mirror, shoot the mirror.
So what would it be like for any of us to be like Cain? It would mean that anytime some weakness or bad habit in our lives is exposed by contrast to someone else’s goodness, instead of dealing with the weakness or the bad habit, we keep away from those whose lives make us feel defective. We don’t kill them. We avoid them. Or worse, we find ways to criticize them so as to neutralize the part of their lives that was making us feel convicted. We feel like the best way to nullify someone’s good point is to draw attention to their bad point. And so we protect ourselves from whatever good they might be or us.
But John’s point is: Love doesn’t act like that. Love is glad when our brothers and sisters are making progress in good habits or good attitudes or good behavior. Love rejoices in this growth. And if it happens to be faster than our own growth, then love is humble and rejoices with those who rejoice.
So the lesson for us is: Everywhere you see some growth, some virtue, some, spiritual discipline, some good habit, or good attitude, rejoice in it. Give thanks for it. Compliment it. Don’t resent it. Don’t be like Cain. Respond the opposite from Cain. Be inspired by other people’s goodness.
Love is humble. Love delights in other people’s good. Love doesn’t protect its own flaws. Love takes steps to change them. What a beautiful fellowship where everyone is rejoicing in each other’s strengths, not resenting them! This is what the love of God looks like when the new birth gives it life in the people of God.
I am a follower of Jesus Christ, a husband to Aileen and a father to three young children. I worship and serve as a pastor at 
Releasing on April 1, The Next
Published in 2008, this book
This is a guide that calls men,
This review of the bestselling
New to the site? You can get
This is a guide written
Comments (14)
That is great godly wisdom.
I was just reading of Aaron and Miriam’s jealousy of their younger sibling - Moses - and his leadership in Num 12. In somewhat the same way, Moses unique relationship with God may have made them feel somewhat inferior - and so they were critical of him.
Moses didn’t defend himself (being humble) and when God judged Miriam, he interceded on her (and Aaron’s) behalf - seeking forgiveness and restoration.
I guess we should not be surprised - but we should also be about restoring those who avoid or criticize us - helping them to better understand God’s mercy and goodness.
Thanks Tim (and sorry about the non-calorie soda water)…
This is a very helpful and accurate insight. I’ve done this myself, and been the subject of it as well. It’s hard not to feel envious of the gifts others recieve. If we will be honest when we see this sinful attitude in ourselves we can confess it and grow - and learn to forgive those who are guilty of the same thing.
We are to love our brothers in the biblical since. This means our brothers and sisters in Christ, but it must also apply to our brothers in blood. If we cannot help our birth brothers, if we cannot forgive our birth brothers whatever they do, then how can we forgive our spiritual brothers or all of our brothers of the Earth. If we want to follow the example of Christ we must forgive everyone that has hurt us. If we cannot forgive then that is our ego taking control over us.LET GO YOUR EGOThere are only two laws that cover everything and that is “Seek first the Kingdom of God (this does not mean heaven, it means following the ways of God)and love your neighbor (all people of the earth) as yourself.”
Philippians 2:3Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
Tim,
Having come from a corporate setting yourself, how do you think humility and love plays out in the workplace? What is your take on COMPETITION?
I know I will benefit much from your godly advice.
YIC,Warren
Tim,What a beautiful last paragraph.When someone is at a low point in their lives, and they have no money, they drive and old beat up car, they are getting over-due notices in the mail and people calling on the phone, when this is our situation or some level of the above, our ego keeps telling us that we are doing ok. Our ego cannot accept failure and blinds our thought center to the situation we are in. Later on when our situation gets better we look back at that part of our lives and ask, how in the world could we have lived like that, or how could we have done a certain thing.Most of us are growing day by day. We are not who we were yesterday, last week, or last year. Sometimes this is the problem that married people have. We grow at different rates and it causes strain on the relationship. The strife being that we are disappointed in the other person when they do certain things. By doing this we are making a judgment call on the other person. We are judging someone for doing the same thing that we might have done six months or one year ago.When we see the way some people live, and in our mind we think, how can someone live like that, we are making another judgment call, an ego call. If we think the right thoughts we would realize that at some point and time in our past we may have been living to a certain degree the same way. If we thought in this manner we would not Judge. Judgment is EGO. Christ said that you would be judged as you judge.We can love the people that we think are beneath us. Look for ways to love. It will change your thought process. Satan is in your mind. Your mind is what is deceiving you. Your thoughts are deceiving you. Good or bad, your mind will make the thoughts manifest themselves into realty. We must change our thought process.Love your neighbor; there is absolutely nothing else that you need to do. If you love, you can only love from the deepest part of yourself. If you have love it will manifest it self in your life. Love will fill you up to overflowing. Love until you are love. GOD is LOVE. http://toseekthelight.blogspot.com/
Excellent!!!
I can’t figure out what the quote is or how much of this is you and how much is Piper. Is this whole post the quote?
Thanks for sharing this, Tim. I am excited to read this book. Very challenging.
Good comments, Tim. Other passages gives further insight into Cain (see Mt. 23:35; Heb. 11:4; Jude 11) and show that resentment can spawn hatred. We must all avoid resentment and glory in others’ progress. Love demands nothing less.
Tim,This is really great stuff! This is the kind of stuff we need to be promoting among us. Let us remember that this needs to cross theological lines also. God is growing all of us up at His pace and in His way and we are never told that harsh judgement of eachother is the way this is achieved. We are however told very often to love eachother.Thanks for an encouraging post Tim. We need them.
Tim,
This is so true. One of the first thoughts that entered my mind was, “It’s kinda sad that we have to point these things out among Christians,” then I told Satan to get away! and realized that this is the exact message that we should be reminding fellow Christians of. That the success of one person may mean thousands hear the Word of God, and for that how can we not be joyful!
Very beautiful.
Underdog,
Good question about competition. I have the same question. I teach at a Christian high school, and, of course, we have sports, but there always seems to be this vague, undefined uneasiness about how to play competitive sports in a biblical manner. Sports is such a huge part of our culture, and I’ve not heard much from Christians about competition. This would be a great topic to address.
Michael,
It has long been a point of struggle and contemplation for me.
We are told to honor God in the workplace. But does it mean that we have to “win” all the time for this to be true? What about the times wherein other people, often unbelievers, are getting ahead? Do we pursue “for the glory of God”, with the aim of besting the other?
The movie, “Facing the Giants”, helped me a lot in this regard. But I still would appreciate the comments of Tim and the others.
I have to admit that I take a morbid satisfaction in seeing the flaws in those who are more “spiritual” than myself in order to make myself feel better. So, I am glad the the Lord allows us to be voyers into the lives of other saints in the bilble, and some modern- Peter thirteen years after Christs resurrection was still struggling with the fear of man Gal. 2:11&12. When I find myself becoming frustrated with the seeming progress of others, and it happens quite a bit, and my constant battle with current indwelling sin I defer to the gospel and take confort in the finished work of Christ on my behalf.