Better Things
Comparisons are often made in Scripture.
Whether something is better depends upon the perspective of the person being involved.
The Bible uses the word many times, so let us look at some of the passages and determine why some things are better than others.

Psalm
37:16 A little that a righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked.
63:3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You.
84:10 For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
118:8 It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in man.
118:9 It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in princes.
119:72 The law of Your mouth is better to me Than thousands of coins of gold and silver.

Proverbs
8:11 For wisdom is better than rubies, And all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her.
8:19 My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold, And my revenue than choice silver.
12:9 Better is the one who is slighted but has a servant, Than he who honors himself but lacks bread.
15:16 Better is a little with the fear of the LORD, Than great treasure with trouble.
15:17 Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, Than a fatted calf with hatred.
16:8 Better is a little with righteousness, Than vast revenues without justice.
16:16 How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.
16:19 Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, Than to divide the spoil with the proud.
16:32 He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
17:1 Better is a dry morsel with quietness, Than a house full of feasting with strife.
19:1 Better is the poor who walks in his integrity Than one who is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.
19:22 What is desired in a man is kindness, And a poor man is better than a liar.
21:9 Better to dwell in a corner of a housetop, Than in a house shared with a contentious woman.
21:19 Better to dwell in the wilderness, Than with a contentious and angry woman.
25:7 For it is better that he say to you, "Come up here," Than that you should be put lower in the presence of the prince, Whom your eyes have seen.
27:10 Do not forsake your own friend or your father's friend, Nor go to your brother's house in the day of your calamity; Better is a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.
28:6 Better is the poor who walks in his integrity Than one perverse in his ways, though he be rich.

Ecclesiastes
2:24 Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God.
3:12 I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives,
3:22 So I perceived that nothing is better than that a man should rejoice in his own works, for that is his heritage. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?
4:6 Better a handful with quietness Than both hands full, together with toil and grasping for the wind.
4:9 Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor.
4:13 Better a poor and wise youth Than an old and foolish king who will be admonished no more.
5:5 Better not to vow than to vow and not pay.
6:3 If a man begets a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with goodness, or indeed he has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better than he.
7:1 A good name is better than precious ointment, And the day of death than the day of one's birth;
7:2 Better to go to the house of mourning Than to go to the house of feasting, For that is the end of all men; And the living will take it to heart.
7:3 Sorrow is better than laughter, For by a sad countenance the heart is made better.
7:5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise Than for a man to hear the song of fools.
7:8 The end of a thing is better than its beginning; The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
9:4 But for him who is joined to all the living there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion.
9:16 Then I said: "Wisdom is better than strength. Nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, And his words are not heard.
9:18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war; But one sinner destroys much good."

New Testament
Philippians 1:23 For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.
Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
Hebrews 1:4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
Hebrews 6:9 But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner.
Hebrews 7:19 for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.
Hebrews 7:22 by so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant.
Hebrews 8:6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.
Hebrews 9:23 Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
Hebrews 11:16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
Hebrews 11:35 Women received their dead raised to life again. And others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection.
Hebrews 11:40 God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.
Hebrews 12:24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.
1 Peter 3:17 For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
2 Peter 2:21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.

Conclusion
Every verse in this sermon has the word “better” in it.
The worldly mind might not agree with God’s word about what is better.
Our duty to God tells us to learn that the spiritual is much better than the physical.
It is better to live for Christ than to live for oneself and die and be cast into hell.
God’s way is better.

By Carey Scott

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