At the expense of others...

Father, your creation declares your greatness and lovingkindness, encouraging statements of pure truth in our daily walk... In victory, while overlooking the Battle of Fredericksburg, General Robert E. Lee observed; "It is well that war is so terrible, or we would grow too fond of it." I can only imagine the sense of achievement when one survives a horrific life and death situation, especially when that one is the general who had just witnessed his orders being executed to perfection. But at the end of that battle there were 18,000 casualties with nearly 2,000 men killed in action. No, there's little room for growing fond of such actions, but we too are guilty of such actions, albeit on a lesser scale to be sure, but still, we thrive on success, even to the point of it being a detriment to others. May we, too, find our actions are without merit when putting others down in order to build ourselves up. For, as Paul confessed in the Spirit, "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." (Romans 8:18) Yes, we will suffer in this life, but we must keep our eyes on the prize in Christ Jesus, lifting Him up rather than building ourselves at the expense of others… Thank you, Jesus, for showing us that you are the way, the truth, and the life; THE answer for those committed to seeking the truth in all things!