My house had been a disaster area for a couple of days because we had been in and out of the house running around all weekend, so I decided to do a rough cleaning. That night I was telling my husband how I just had to clean up, even though it was late on a Saturday evening, because I can’t stand a messy house and we both burst out laughing.
The truth is my cleaning and his cleaning are two different things.
I can stand a messier house than he can. Let’s just say that when he cleans, it puts my cleaning to shame. He actually moves chairs and tables and really gets in there. Sometimes I think I’m really good at cleaning things until I see him do it.
Isn’t it funny how measuring ourselves next to someone else makes us suddenly more aware of our own measurements?
I think we do that in lots of areas in our life, especially with God.
We measure our worth or our walk with God based on where we are compared to where we think someone else is. Maybe we think that we are “more Christian” than someone else because we don’t struggle with the same things that they do, and so we think we measure slightly above them. Maybe we think we aren’t “Christian enough” based on the measurement we give someone else who seems to have it all together.
But the truth is, none of us measure up when compared to Jesus.
Those measuring sticks were essentially made into a cross that Jesus died on. Because we will always fall short of the glory of God, no matter what our measurements look like compared to someone else.
Jesus died for us so we wouldn’t have to measure ourselves against anyone other than His love for us. And friends, that love is unmeasurable.
While we were STILL sinners, Jesus died for YOU. That’s the kind of love that He has for you. So often, we make walking with Jesus some measuring stick that keeps us looking down at the numbers instead of looking up and at who is holding our hand.
That measuring stick quickly becomes a plank that we walk. We trade in real relationship with Jesus, and what it is to follow and obey Him out of that, into a counterfeit of our own making. One that is more performance based than grace based. The problem with that is then we start thinking that our salvation is something we earn rather than something that was freely given. We take our eyes off our Savior and Lord and put them back on us. Instead of walking in the freedom, joy, and hope that is ours when we commit ourselves to Jesus, we get out the ole’ measuring stick.
If that’s you, pick up that measuring stick and make it your walking stick and get moving. Look at what you’ve got in your hand! Who’s holding it? The righteous right hand of God. He’s got a hold of you and He keeps you from falling. When you lead with Him first, you can lean on Him when you’re walking up hill. You can be assured and confident in your walk when you realize who is beside you.
Run the race that He has set before you and don’t measure your progress with those around you. Measure it by whether or not you’ve picked up your walking stick today. If you’ve done that, then even if you stumble, you’ll be able to get back up and keep going.