Who is Like You?

Ps.113:5 - Who is like unto the Lord our God...
Jn.7:46 - Never man spoke like this man...
There is no reference point when we meditate on the greatness of our God and Savior. With whom or what can we compare Him? We "see through a glass darkly" about even the things God has prepared for us, much less fully and completely realize the majesty of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end and everything in between. Why did Creator of everything care about redeeming me? I didn't care about Him. And why did He come to me as one of us and allow Himself to be treated like He was - and crucified. I can't even watch deer hunting so crucifixion is way beyond me. I couldn't watch a man, the worst of men, be crucified. And yet, I am inexplicably drawn to watch the cross of Jesus of Nazareth.
When I see portrayals of the crucifixion I somehow am able to endure the visual horror because I am mesmerized by the combination of Who He is and what He is doing. No one who is not a follower of this grotesque figure can appreciate or enter in to what we experience when we gaze at the Tree of Life. I don't deserve even the smallest kindness from the hand of The Almighty much less the death of His Matchless Son.
Who, Lord, is like You? No one, never. You, Lord Jesus, have no one who even deserves consideration much less someone Your equal. Power, holiness, love, grace, judgment, and eternity are all embedded in You. Lord Jesus, I can hardly believe that You wanted to spend forever with me, much less pay for my way. I am ashamed that I find so much happiness in anything but You, and knowing I will be with You forever and yet I worry about the refuse of this world. I feel the whole world beginning to violently shake and I lift my eyes toward you. Everything has changed; the ancient landmarks have been moved; Your Word has been diminished; man and money have taken Your place; but You and only You are exalted.
My life would be meaningless without Jesus. My most surrendered act has to still be covered by His blood to make it acceptable. If Jesus had just forgiven me and not sent me to hell it would have been undeserved. If He had forgiven me and prepared a place in eternity for me to live just with other saints it would have been undeserved. But for Him to have forgiven me and prepared a place for me to spend eternity with Him is so far beyond our human ability to fully comprehend we've had to compartmentalize it as a theological truth because if we ever really believed it we would travel the world like drunks telling everyone we met about this eternal and undeserved blessing that has been given to us by God's grace. As a matter of fact, there were some people who at one time did that but, of course, most of them paid with their lives so we could live high off the hog.
I can recall the story of that great Jewish preacher Hyman Appleman. After he was saved as a teenager he was called into the ministry. Now when his father had heard that he had become a follower of Jesus he gave Hyman one week to renounce his faith or be disowned as a son. You don't hear that very often today. As Hyman boarded the train that was to take him away to a Bible school his mother, who he adored, held on so tightly to his hand that Hyman had to pry his mother's fingers off his hand as the train began to pull out. I do not believe Hyman ever spoke to his father again. That "count the cost" type of commitment was much more prevalent years ago. Sadly, today a person is not asked to sacrifice anything to become a follower of Christ, as a matter of fact he is promised that he will gain material, relationships, and in every worldly way.
I often feel, and rightly so, that I don't sacrifice anything for Christ. A merchant man went looking for goodly pearls, and when he found one pearl of great price, he sold all that he had and bought it. Jesus is that Pearl of great price. He has given to us eternal life! Forget about this life, we have eternal life. Like a man who found a winning lottery ticket for 1 billion dollars, and on his way to the capitol to collect he complains about the conditions he has to endure during the trip. We have eternal life with Him who is our life but we interpret "abundant life" to mean grab all the gusto on our journey here. One glimpse, and I mean one initial glimpse, of the face of the Risen Christ and I will feel completely astounded that I desired any of this world.
Jesus, who is like you...no one and nothing can ever compare with your matchless beauty in my life. I have let you down a thousand times and yet you are still faithful. I look forward to seeing you one day and worshipping you in the presence of all the angels. Until that day receive my blood washed praise as an incense of worship before your throne, and make my life a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable before you. You have been my beginning, and you will be my end.
There is no one like you...Selah