It is human nature to compare ourselves to others. We compare our talents, our looks, and the worst of all, how "good" we are. This is wildly dangerous, and the effects are devastating. As Village Church's Matt Chandler puts it, "I am 6'5" tall. Compared to a man who is 5'8", I am extremely tall. But compared to an NBA player, I am not so tall, after all." Who do we compare ourselves to? If I measure how good I am next to Adolf Hitler, I feel pretty good about myself. On the other hand, what happens when I measure my "goodness" with God's?
Since we are prone to make comparisons, let's compare ourselves with God. If any thought is humbling, it is this. He is Perfection. He is Goodness. He is Holy. He is Righteous. He is much more. He IS.
“As for God, his way is perfect: The LORD’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him." (2 Samuel 22:31)
"The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works." (Psalm 145:17)
"And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,
'Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is and is to come!'" (Rev. 4:8)
As we look to God's glory, there is no room to compare ourselves to others. We have ALL sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). This leaves no room for saying, "At least I don't struggle with this or that, like she does." Your sin is just as wretched as your neighbors', your family members', and your friends'. Different types of sin can leave us in different circumstances, but the end result of all sin is death, until Christ intercedes.
"If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?" (Ps. 130:3)
"We have all become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.
We all fade like a leaf,
and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away." (Isaiah 64:6)
"Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins." (Ecc. 7:20)
In the midst of the ugly mess of our sin, there is good news. What God has done for us is nothing short of spectacular! Through Christ, we are made righteous. But ONLY through Him, not on our own strength, but in His.
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:8-10)
"For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith." (1 John 5:4)
"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed." (1 Peter 2:24)
"Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness." (Romans 6:13)
Benefits that come from viewing ourselves in comparison to God:
1) We come to know God in all His glory
2) He becomes greater, we become less
3) Our understanding and thankfulness for His grace deepens
4) We are motivated to pursue godliness
5) We are less prone to judge & more prone to live with grace and humility to all
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