"For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself."
Galatians 6:3 (ESV)
We, as fallen human beings, have a tendency to measure ourselves and others. To compare.
The interesting thing is, we tend to measure other people against the very best* of whatever metric we are measuring.
"Tarantino is good, but he is no Scorsese."
"Blake Shelton is okay, but he is no Garth Brooks."
"President so-and-so is not so bad, but he is no President such-and-such."
Conversely, when comparing ourselves to others, the tendency is to pick someone who is...well...a little less.
Someone a little more lost. A little more broken. A little more hurting. A little more fallen.
"Well, I am not great, but I am better than THAT guy."
While such comparisons might make us feel a little better, they really should not. You see, the metric God is using to measure us is nothing less than Jesus Christ himself. How do you think you come out in that evaluation?
"But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor." Galatians 6:4 (ESV)
When evaluating yourself - which you should do regularly, gently, and mercifully - do it the right way. Consider who you ARE. For encouragement, compare that person to who you USED TO BE. Then, for motivation and inspiration, compare who you are to who He might shape you to BECOME.
Think about it.
Pastor Jason
*the very best of WHATEVER is a very personal, subjective issue. These are just random examples. They do not necessarily reflect my personal opinions. Not really looking to have a Tarantino/Scorsese, Shelton/Brooks, politics of any kind at all debate.
