The Comparison

“We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.”- 2 Corinthians 10:12

 

“Comparing oneself with oneself is like shooting an arrow and then drawing a target around wherever it lands.” ⁽¹⁾

 

          Those in society who deem themselves good find themselves setting a standard to live by that is solely devised by themselves. They feel they have a firm grasp regarding what is good and what is evil and act according to those standards which they themselves have set. They never consider God, but rather feel no need to due to the supposed logical nature of their thinking. How could they possibly be wrong in their assessment? It makes sense to them and is something that they can live by without breaking a sweat. It is mind boggling how people can conjure up all sorts of ways to work their way to heaven in their own minds. They feel no need to trouble themselves with the untidy details of the crucifixion or the resurrection. That is for the weak minded. God is nothing more than a myth or legend. Something people need as a crutch to survive. However, measuring ourselves by ourselves is very dangerous. It is like sailing close to a rocky shoreline without the aid of a lighthouse. We cannot see the reality of our danger without first surrendering our will. Only then do the blinders come off.

          We are to compare ourselves to God so that we might realize our current state. Those who compare themselves to themselves fail to realize that attempting to go through life without God is like taking the helm of a great sailing vessel without ever having ventured out of dry dock before. They have no idea how to direct their lives successfully by any standards other than our own contrived set of rules. Free will allows us all a choice. To follow a path of our own choosing is unwise. Some Christians even talk themselves into believing their own definition of good. If we would only let go of the wheel and let God take over. We are foolish to think we can do anything pleasing to God without knowing Christ for He made it clear in John 15:5 when He says emphatically “without me you can do nothing”. We are incapable of being consistently good according to God’s own word.

 

Luke 18:19 "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good— except God alone."

 

Rom 3:12b "… there is no one who does good, not even one."

 

          Anything a believer does that would have any eternal implications or value must be done in conjunction with Christ, for without Him we are nothing. We can do our own thing or do God’s thing. It’s our choice. When we compare ourselves to Christ rather than ourselves, we see how far off the mark we truly are. God loves us and seeks to guide and direct us into blessing and fulfillment by His Spirit. We cannot achieve this on our own. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries