Rappers talk about who is the greatest. There is no consensus because there is no objective criteria.

One is better with metaphors, one is deeper, one is more clever, one rhymes better and one has better beats. There is no best. But there are contributors.

The disciples talked about who the greatest was, too. They were not content with being contributors either.

The disciples even argued about who the greatest was at the dinner table where the Greatest told them He was going to be killed soon. How embarrassing.

They should have known better, and we should too.

But we are just like them. We might not ask the exact question “Who is the greatest among us?” But we are concerned how we compare to the people next to us. We want a pecking order.

You might want to know if you are more athletic and better looking than the person you perceive as your competition.

Like rappers and disciples, you want to know where you stand.

Before you think about where you think you stand, consider where you surely stand.

When we compare ourselves to others, we resort to our emotionally driven presumptions about ourselves and others. That takes the focus off what God thinks of us and makes for erroneous judgments.

If we thought about where we surely stand — as God’s beloved and cherished children — instead of conjecturing about where we might stand, we would not worry how we compare and compete.

Athlete, if you want to be great: 1) chuck the comparisons, 2) focus on where you surely stand 3) provide for others, and 4) be content being a contributor.

Action: Think of yourself as a spoke in a wheel, not the whole bike.