The Measure of the Stature part 3
When you take the measure of the man, you're kind of sizing him up, right? Seeing what he's all about? What he's made of? And I'm sure you've heard the old expression that Christians are like tea bags. If you want to see what they're made of you have to put them in hot water. Which is to say, it's easy to be "good" when there's no resistance. It's easy to be nice if you're all by yourself. It's only when you're confronted with things that you can truly find out how you will handle them. It's easy to have an idea, "I would do this, this, and this." But when the rubber meets the road, when the chips are down, that's when you find out what you're made of. Which is to say, that's when you have an opportunity to find out what JESUS is made up. To me, the verse about His strength being made perfect in our weakness is about us giving it over to Him. Knowing that we can't... but knowing that He will. Knowing that we don't have to... because He will. Knowing--with a knowledge that passes knowledge--that our heavenly Father has our backs. Knowing that He will do anything for us... because He has already done everything for us. Everything that needed to happen... happened on the cross. Everything we could ever need... was given to us. God wanted the best for us, so He gave the best to us. He gave His only begotten Son to us. He gave Himself to us. His Spirit. His nature. His life. Because on the cross Jesus didn't just give His life FOR us, He gave His life TO us. So that we could have it. So that we could experience it as He lives His own abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life of love in us, and through us, and as us. When we take the measure of the man Jesus--the Son of Man... and the Son of God--what we find is, "...in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily" (Colossians 2:9). When we take the measure of the man... we find all of God. And God is love. So when we take the measure of the stature of the man... we find love. The fulness of love. And that's important because... as He is, so are we in this world. What we find in Jesus is what we find in ourselves. Because Jesus lives in us, and we live in Him. He is the Truth. What is true about Jesus is true about us. When the Father spoke over Jesus's baptism and said, "You are my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased..." That's the ultimate truth of the universe. God is love and He loves you. The Father loveth the Son and has placed all things in His (our) hands. We don't have to try to measure up to anything or anybody. We are fearfully and wonderfully made by the Creator of the universe. By the God who is love. It's not about measuring yourself against these impossible standards, and inevitably falling short. It's about seeing ourselves (and each other) for who we really are. Which is who we are in Christ. Which is who Christ is in us. Who we are in love. Which is who love is in us. And who love is in us... is love bursting out of us! The measure of the stature of love... is infinite. It (HE, love) can't be measured. Even when you test the height, and length, and depth, and breadth of His love... you do it by loving people bigger and harder and stronger than you ever thought you could. But there's no limit. Love is limitless. That's the measure of the stature of the man... and the love!