"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." ~1 John 1:5-7
That's something I've had to remind myself of continuously lately.
GOD IS LIGHT. In Him there is no darkness AT ALL.
Not even a hint.
When our minds grow dim and full of negativity, that's the enemy at work. Waging war against what we know to be true. What Jesus says is true.
We must allow His light to take over and fill every inch of our being.
And when we allow His light to shine in us, we have fellowship with one another.
Fellowship means we don't judge one another.
We don't compare ourselves to one another.
And when we see a fellow brother or sister entertaining thoughts that are not full of God's light and Truth, we gently remind them of what IS true.
They are beautiful.
They are strong.
They are LOVED.
They are God's child.
All negative descriptors are thrown out the window.
No matter what circumstances they've been through.
No matter what mistakes they've made.
No matter what regrets they may have.
They are children of LIGHT.
They are NEW.
They are CLEAN.
They are FORGIVEN.
They are loved and cared for unconditionally.
By Jesus. And by us, their fellow brothers and sisters, because that's the kind of love we're called to.
Recently, the enemy has decided it'd be cool to attack me in regards to past mistakes I've made. And by making me feel "less than" others who appear to be "better." (he knows I'm about to embark on an incredible journey to expand the Lord's Kingdom….he's scurred!)
I've decided his lies are not allowed anymore.
God has continuously spoken His Truth over me and over my life, and it has been amazing to experience His grace in whole new way.
Comparing myself to others is something I've struggled with for as long as I can remember. It's tough, especially when it seems like it's based off of things that are actually true. But one thing I've come to realize is that GOD IS TRUTH. Earthly "truths" don't matter, because they aren't really truths at all!
When we are redeemed by The Redeemer, all that counts is what HE says about us.
He forgets our sins as if they never happened, thanks to the sacrifice of Jesus, our Savior.
That's why comparing ourselves to one another is completely irrelevant and foolish.
"When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise." ~2 Corinthians 10:12
We've all sinned and fallen short of God's glory. (Romans 3:23)
Period.
No one needs Jesus "more" than anyone else.
We ALL need Him.
Whether you lie every now and then, mouth off to your parents occasionally, or have murdered 25 people.
We all need a Savior equally.
My home church pastor once said, "It's not 'big sin, big grace; little sin, little grace.' It's INFINITE sin, INFINITE grace."
What a beautiful Truth.
We forget that we measure ourselves and others by imperfect, human standards. WE, not God, have placed degrees of severity over certain sins, gaging some as being "worse" than others. Really, GOD is the perfect One. He sets the standard. And when compared to His perfection, none of us even come close.
We are all sinful, and because of that the Lord allows some of us to experience different kinds of hardship and troubles, some are seemingly worse than others, but only by human standards.
I believe one of the main reasons (if not THE main reason) He allows us to all experience varying degrees of sin and pain is for the purposes of reaching out to those who are lost.
After all, life (contrary to popular belief) has NOTHING to do with us.
It has EVERYTHING to do with bringing glory to God and leading people to Jesus, plain and simple.
Soak in this Truth for a minute:
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." ~Romans 8:28
In ALL things He works for our good.
Everything we experience serves His purposes.
God doesn't make mistakes.
In the light of the Cross, regrets have no place.
Because God uses EVERYTHING for His glory.
even our sins.
When we've known and experienced sin patterns, we are better equipped to reach out and show compassion to those who are still bound to their sinful ways, especially those who have struggles that are similar to ours.
So really, your horrible awful sins you hate most (that Jesus has forgotten about, by the way…) are often most valuable when reaching out to others.
And because God has been gracious and merciful to us regardless of what we've done, we are able to extend the same grace and mercy to others.
Crazzzzzzyyyyy, right?!?!
That's why comparisons are such a waste and serve no positive or godly purpose.
"Don't compare yourself to other people. God anoints us all in different ways." -Joyce Meyer
So, don't let the enemy fool you into believing you're too dirty or too messy. Don't let him tell you you're a failure or make you feel "less than" anyone else. That's exactly what he says to those who are capable of and WILLING to be used by God for His glory, to make a difference, to reach the lost, and to expand the Kingdom of heaven. Remember, God uses our weaknesses to make us strong through Christ Jesus. Then, He uses the strength He's given us to lift up the weak and weary, to point them toward the Cross, and show them the path to redemption.
"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
~2 Corinthians 12:9-10
