12 Bible Verses about Rivalry

A discussion arose among them as to which of them would be the greatest. But Jesus knew the question that was in their minds and he took a child and made him stand by his side, and said to them, "Whoever welcomes this child on my account is welcoming me, and whoever welcomes me, welcomes him who has sent me. For it is the lowliest among you all who is really great."

Just at that time the disciples came up and asked Jesus, "Who is really greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?" He called a child to him and had him stand among them, and he said, "I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven at all.read more.
Anyone, therefore, who is as unassuming as this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven,

But they made no answer, for on the way they had been discussing with one another which of them was the greatest. And he sat down and called the Twelve in, and said to them, "If anyone wishes to be first, he must be the last of all and the servant of all." And he took a child and made him stand among them, and he put his arms around him, and said to them,read more.
"Whoever welcomes one child like this on my account is welcoming me, and whoever welcomes me, welcomes not me but him who has sent me."

Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came up to him with her sons, bowing low, to ask a favor of him. He said to her, "What do you want?" She said to him, "Give orders that these two sons of mine sit one at your right and one at your left, when you are king!" But Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking for! Can you drink what I am going to drink?" They answered, "Yes, we can."read more.
He said to them, "Then what I drink you shall drink, but as for sitting at my right or my left, that is not mine to give, but belongs to those for whom it is destined by my Father." When the other ten heard of this, they were very indignant at the two brothers.

And Zebedee's two sons, James and John, came up to him and said, "Master, we want you to do for us whatever we ask." He said to them, "What do you want me to do for you?" They said to him, "Let us sit one at your right hand and one at your left, in your triumph."read more.
Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking for. Can you drink what I am drinking, or undergo the baptism that I am undergoing?" They said to him, "Yes, we can." Jesus said to them, "Then you shall drink what I am drinking, and you shall undergo the baptism that I am undergoing; but as for sitting at my right or at my left, that is not mine to give, but belongs to those for whom it is destined." When the other ten heard of this they were at first very indignant at James and John.

But you must not let people call you 'Rabbi,' for you have only one teacher, and you are all brothers. And you must not call anyone on earth your father, for you have only one father, your heavenly Father. And you must not let men call you master, for you have only one master, the Christ.read more.
But he who is greatest among you must be your servant.

for you are still worldly. For when there are still jealousy and quarrels among you, are you not worldly and living on a merely human level? For when one man says, "I am a follower of Paul," and another, "I am a follower of Apollos," are you not simply human?

What I mean is this, that one of you says, "I am a follower of Paul," another, "And I, of Apollos," another, "And I, of Cephas," and another, "And I, of Christ!" Christ has been divided up! But was it Paul who was crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through your faith. For all of you who have been baptized into union with Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no room for "Jew" and "Greek"; there is no room for "slave" and "freeman"; there is no room for "male" and "female"; for in union with Christ Jesus you are all one.

And Jesus called them to him, and said to them, "You know that those who are supposed to rule the heathen lord it over them, and their great men tyrannize over them; but it is not to be so among you. Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to hold the first place among you must be everybody's slave.read more.
For the Son of Man himself has not come to be waited on, but to wait on other people, and to give his life to free many others."

But Jesus called them to him and said, "You know that the rulers of the heathen lord it over them, and their great men tyrannize over them. It is not to be so among you, but whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to hold the first place among you must be your slave,read more.
just as the Son of Man has come not to be waited on, but to wait on other people, and to give his life to ransom many others."

Some of them, it is true, are actually preaching the Christ from jealousy and partisanship, but there are others who are doing it out of good-will. These latter do it from love for me, for they know that God has put me where I am to defend our right to preach the good news. But the others are preaching the Christ not sincerely but for their own ends, imagining that they are making my imprisonment harder to bear.read more.
But what difference does it make? All that matters is that, in one way or another, from false motives or honest ones, Christ is being made known; I am glad of that. Yes, and I expect to be glad,