Inordinate Competition-Indignation

Matthew 20:23-24  "Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father."   When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers."

Matthew 21:15  "But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they were indignant." 
 Matthew 26:3-4   "Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas,  and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him."


Matthew 26:7-9 " a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. "When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. "Why this waste?" they asked."This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor."

Lord, in my reading today about your last week here on earth, I was alerted as to how many times the phrase, "they were indignant" occurs and why.  In each case above it seems there was inordinate competition- among the disciples and then with the chief priests.  I was reminded again how You hate this in us.  Pride, arrogance, envy, and greed play into this and are all very gross sins indeed.  We can see it in our families (_____ are the favorite you know), on the job (I should have gotten that raise or promotion , I did all the work), in school, and worst of all in the church.  The saddest thing is that it happens among believers, not just unbelievers who do not know better!

Sweet Lord, please keep me from this ugly sin.  Help me to rejoice with those who rejoice and never get the grumbles because it didn't happen for me.  You enthrone and dethrone kings and control History!  How dare I try to tell You what should or should not happen to me?  Help me to be submissive to Your perfect will in my life with whatever it holds for me, and I will praise and thank You still for it all.