March 15 - Galatians 3:26-29

March 15 - Galatians 3:26-29

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Am I a better Christian than you? Am I more deserving of Christ’s love and inheritance?

We are so competitive in our culture today.  When I was growing up, I remember my mother always comparing herself to others … ‘am I thinner or heavier than that person’? And then as parents, mine would make sure to compare us favorably to those we were around, whether it was scholastically or musically.  While this did a lot to build our self-confidence, it began a lifetime of comparison. 

My father had a couple of prejudices that drove me crazy.  He based a lot of his ideas on people about their education.  Now, a Bachelor’s Degree would suffice, but more than that was even better.  (It does not escape me that I waited until after he died to go after my Master’s Degree … no, I’m not rebellious at all … even at my age!)  Fortunately for all of us, he married a woman who was absolutely brilliant, but didn’t finish her college education.  She kept him humble and honest.

We live in a culture that is filled with comparisons.  We compare ourselves to those who we believe are better and find ourselves lacking while at the same time, we turn around and compare ourselves to others who might not have our talents and capabilities and find that we are comfortable in a position above them.

There is one place, though, that we come to and find ourselves on equal footing, no matter what we think.

Jesus Christ came to teach us about love … for everyone.  Not for the pretty or the perfect or the talented or the wealthy.  In fact, he came and walked among those that had less … the broken, the weary, the lost, the hurting.  He approached the worst of them all in the leper and the tax-collector and showed love.  In a strong Jewish society, He reached out to the Gentiles.

Living within His love means that we are safe from those comparisons.  He doesn’t care who we are and He doesn’t care what we’ve done.  All He wants is the relationship that will offer us true equality … true love.