One Resurrection, One Example

“We are not called to be like other Christians,

we are called to be like CHRIST.”

OFTEN we lose sight of the classic Easter truth: Christ died on the Friday, to be death for us so we might be connected with the Father, and he rose from the tomb on Sunday, defeating death and conquering sin, proving his Divinity. Jesus is God and Jesus is Lord.

Easter is about centralizing on this magnificent truth: we cannot ever follow anyone or anything else and be in accord with the truth. Jesus is one resurrection and the sole example of life connected into the heart of God. This is such an amazing, yet simple truth, it makes us behold it as we imagine the freedom in not waiting upon comparison with others; we wait on Jesus, our Savior and Lord, alone.

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There is no worthy comparison other than Jesus. And though we are so other-than God, we know, by the portents of God’s redeeming grace, that though we strive for holiness, we will fall short and that is okay. Not that we glory in our sin – but we accept we are fallen, broken vessels needing the Holy Spirit’s infilling to work as God intended us to work.

When we have removed all other distractions with which to compare ourselves to, we can then enter into the grace of growth; to love God as we, ourselves, are loved.

There is no worthy comparison other than Jesus.

When we can control our comparison and train it on the Lord, himself, we know we are on the right path; that is, toward the glory of God, as we love others and keep loving them despite our mutual transgressions or even our bumbling ways.

There is a privilege in this work – to abide in the one and only true example for life.

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As we come into this knowledge and comprehend it, afresh, we begin to sense God’s Spirit is doing a new work in us as we debunk that wrangling nature to compare with others in our envying. No longer do we need to venture forth in a state of low self-esteem. No more is there the need to look over the neighbor’s fence.

We are now free in Jesus Christ if we believe. When we believe, Christ changes us by the Holy Spirit. Through our belief we compare with our Lord Jesus, and him alone, to the glory of the one and only Father, who is saving us for all eternity.

© 2014 Garments of Praise. Written by S. J. Wickham.