Meet the Standard

May 31, 2024 | by Joel Jacobs

I recognized a long time ago that an area of my life that needs a lot of attention and improvement is time management. Recently, I realized that it’s not that I don’t have enough time in the day for productive activities, but that I don’t manage the time I do have efficiently. In seeking more activities that are productive or will edify me, an obvious improvement I identified is to read more. Unfortunately, I don’t particularly like to read, and I’m the kind of person that reads half a book. One thing I do enjoy, though, is listening to podcasts. While I’m driving, mowing the grass, and even working out (yes, I prefer to listen to a podcast rather than music). Recently, I realized that listening to an audio book is basically the same thing as listening to a podcast! So…I purchased my first audio book, and I’m almost finished listening to it for the second time.

The first book I chose is “Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis. I’ve really enjoyed it so far (evident by me listening to it twice…so far). One of his talking points got me really thinking, and I made it the subject of our discussion at our last Foundations Youth. To summarize how Lewis put it, he was basically talking about morality. In one area, he points out there is a standard of behavior that virtually everyone agrees we all should follow, yet no one follows it…at least not perfectly. Everyone agrees how others should treat them; “How could you do that to me?!?”, but when they stray from the agreed standard and don’t treat others the same way, there is always some kind of justification; “Well they did THIS, so I did THIS!” We expect everyone else to live up to this standard, except for ourselves. If you think long and hard enough, you could probably identify times that make this true for you. I certainly can.

It’s funny to me how atheists want to try to make a way around the origins of morality. An atheist will give several “logical” ways morality is established. None of them being absolute and not very logical at all. For the believer, this basic standard of behavior is easily traced back to the commandment of God. The commandment that Jesus said is part B of the most important of ALL the commandments: A. Love God with all your heart, B. Love your neighbor as yourself. It’s that simple. However, Jesus took that part B to another level.

In John 13:34, Jesus told his disciples at the last supper that he was giving them a “New Commandment.” It was a new commandment because the standard was being raised; “Love others as I have loved you.” This standard is simple in statement, but not so simple in execution. Be of good cheer though as not only did God give us the standard we should live up to, but He also gives us the love (His love) to do it with, and the guidance on how to do it. We just have to genuinely seek it out.

Proverbs 3 starting at verse 5 instructs us to trust in the Lord and not lean on our own understanding. Why? Because our understanding is incapable of leading us to properly meet the standard God has set before us. The correct way to do it is in verse 6, and assures us that if in all our ways we acknowledge Him, He will direct our paths. The Passion Translation says to “become intimate with Him in whatever you do, and he will lead you wherever you go.” Finally, the Message Bible: Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; He’s the one who will keep you on track…”

As believers, we have a high standard to meet. God has called us out and ordained us to be different from the world. My encouragement today is not just so you repent and start striving to meet God's standard. There are far too many sermons being preached out there that make it seem like this is something YOU must DO and leave you to do it on your own. No, my encouragement is also for you to know that you have been EQUIPPED to meet this standard, and God will help guide you along the way. Seek out that guidance and you will love others just like Jesus loves you.

And I love you all,

Pastor Joel