It's obvious to even the most
casual observer that different people have different standards that are
acceptable to them. In some cases it makes no real difference in life, yet in
other cases it does.
For example; for the past
couple of weeks my wife has been ill and because of that I have been 'helping'
with some of the household duties. (I offer a special thank you to each of the
ladies in our church who have offered to help.) Yesterday I had solid proof
that my wife is recovering. How? By the fact that "husband clean,"
was no longer sufficient for her. It was just little things, but I picked up on
them. Things like the comment: "You know; the kitchen floor really needs
moped." I thought it looked fine. I had wiped up the spots where I had
dropped food! Then there was the fact that she grabbed the hand vacuume and
cleaned up flower pedals and assorted other things in the living room that I
hadn't even seen. So, "husband clean," was not up to her standards of
what is acceptable. I have no excuse; after all, I am a husband and my ways are
not her ways of doing things.
One of the things about
standards is that they often change. You don't have to look to hard to
understand that our society's standards have shifted dramatically concerning
what is right and wrong or what is acceptable or unacceptable. God has set
standards in regards to what is acceptable in terms of morality, acceptable
worship and ethical behavior.
Our society, for the most
part, says there are no hard fast standards for morality; just do whatever
makes you feel good. Our society says, there are no standards for worship, just
do whatever makes you feel good. Our society says there are no standards for ethics;
just go with whatever profits you the most. Look at the corruption of our
world. Think about the thoughtlessness of our government leaders for the people
they govern. Think about the immorality that is flaunted by the world's
entertainment community and is mimicked by those they influence.
These standards of living and
action are not acceptable to our God, even though men say it makes no
difference. God said through the prophet Isaiah, "'For my thoughts are not your
thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the LORD." (Isaiah 55:8)
The problem is that there are
so very many in our world who either don't take the time to read what God says
concerning His standards, or they disregard His words as being old fashioned
and say that God wouldn't possibly expect us live by those standards proclaimed
in His book today.
Paul writes these words of warning in 1Corinthians 6:9-11, "Or do
you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God?
Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers
nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor
slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified,
you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of
our God."
Now I'm pretty sure that some who read these words
will take offence at them, but you know what, you aren’t offended at me, you
are offended at God. He wrote them, I just pointed them out to you. God tells
us basically, "My standards are not your standards, and your ways are not
my ways, what you call right is not really right, what you call clean is not
really clean." You see, it's no different than my cleaning the house for
my wife, what is an acceptable standard to me is not to her. And if truth be told,
I like her standard of cleanliness and God's standard for living better.
Russ Lawson – Messages From The Heart
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