Sometimes families have a doorframe in their home marked with lines made by a pen or marker. A child stands up as straight as possible against the doorframe. Mom or Dad draws a line at the very top of the child’s head and writes the date beside it. They do the same thing six months later, then a year later, then a year and a half later, then two years later. This continues for years. What is the purpose? The family is keeping track of how tall the child is. They are able to see how much the child has grown over time. They can look back and see how tall the child was at different ages.
Now think about that from a spiritual perspective. Imagine for just a moment that you walk up to a doorframe, and at the very top is a mark with the name “Jesus” written beside it. Nobody can go any higher than that. If you were to stand against that doorframe, how would you measure up to Him? If our congregation were to stand against the doorframe, how would we measure up to Him?
In Ephesians, Paul teaches us that Jesus has gifted the church with leadership (4:11) to equip the saints for the work of ministry and build up the body of Christ (4:12) until we all attain “to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (4:13). A couple of verses later, Paul writes, “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” (4:15). Later in the chapter, we are told to “put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (4:24). At the beginning of the next chapter, Paul writes, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (5:1-2).
The message is clear, isn’t it? As individual Christians who make up the collective body of Christ, we should be growing to become more like Jesus in every way. Every day, we should strive to be more like Him. It should be our goal to measure up to the stature of the fullness of Christ. The question we need to wrestle with is this: Are we measuring up? Are you measuring up? Am I measuring up?
Before we answer those questions, consider a couple of important disclaimers. First, on this side of eternity, we are never going to be without sin (1 John 1:8). We will continue to fight against the evil one and his schemes (Ephesians 6:11). The process of becoming more like Christ is a lifelong pursuit that will never be complete as long as we live on this earth.
Second, as Christians, we have already been made like Christ through His death, burial, and resurrection. When you were baptized, you put on Christ and clothed yourself with Him (Galatians 3:27). When we are baptized into Christ, we are baptized into His death, buried with Him, and raised to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:3-4). Because we have been crucified with Christ, He lives in us (Galatians 2:20). It is through Jesus’ obedience that we are made righteous (Romans 5:19). It is in Him, who knew no sin and became sin for us, that we become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). We do not seek to measure up to Jesus in order to be saved but because we have already been saved. By our own goodness, we will never measure up to Him.
With those truths in mind, I think it is important for us to take some spiritual inventory. Are we becoming more like Jesus every day? Looking to His example while He was on earth, are we thinking the way He thought? Are we living the way He lived? Are we loving the way He loved? Are we speaking the way He spoke? Are we interacting with others the way He interacted with others? Don’t live your life striving to measure up to what people think, what is popular in our culture, or what others expect of you. Live your life every day striving to measure up the stature of the fullness of Christ. Together, side by side, let’s make it our goal to become more like Jesus in every way.
Tyler Alverson
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