We live in a world of subjective values where anything people believe is not supposed to be challenged or judged. There are many problems with this kind of thinking. One of the problems is that how does one know if they are on the right track or if they have just created their own fictitious reality!? Unless there is an objective standard, we will not be able to live and work together in society!
We have standards in every sector of society. For example, if you want to become a physician you have to go through grueling years of schooling before you are able to practice. If you want to be a real estate agent, you have to take courses, pass exams, and come under a broker before you can offer your services to people. A pilot has to have years of flight experience before they are able to fly a commercial plane. All of these professions along with thousands others have standards that need to be met before individuals can legally practice their profession. Furthermore, commercial instrumentation and machinery need to be checked from time to time and recalibrated to an objective standard to ensure their accuracy and safety for the public. We cannot live or do business together without proper objective standards in society that keeps us all on the same page and protects people from deception, fraud, etc. How is it that when it comes to God’s standards, they seem irrelevant to many people!?
God is the Creator of heaven and earth, and He has all authority. His standards never become antiquated or go out of style. His word is true, and He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. As a result, what He has spoken in His word thousands of years ago still holds true for us. We need to know God’s standard, so we won’t get harmed with bad choices. God’s standard also gives us stability in our lives and helps us to remain on target for what He has purposed and designed for us to do.
Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scriptures say,
“He traps the wise
in the snare of their own cleverness.”
And again,
“The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise;
he knows they are worthless.” 1Corinthians 3:18-20 (NLT)
The world’s moral standards are in continual flux, and those who rely on it are considered fools according to the Bible. Conversely, those of us who follow the Bible for our standard of living are going to be considered fools or judgmental in the eyes of the world. There is a rejection associated with following God’s standard. We may be shunned, or we may get excluded from certain relationships or conversations. That is par for the course.
When people know our standards, they are not very open about their wild ideas and choices because they know what we think about them. Of course, this does not mean that we are the moral police and we go around telling people how to live their lives. If they come to us for advice we have the perfect opportunity to share our testimony and tell them how the Lord has changed us and transformed our value system and standard.
Obviously, we want people to live righteously, but we need to be sensitive to where the person is at and when truth should be shared with them. This is not about creating a list of dos and don’ts and demanding people to follow God’s standards. We should encourage people to develop a relationship with God that causes them to want to know about who God is and what His standards are.
It would be good to start with our own lives and ask the Lord to show us where we have embraced worldly standards over His standard. Sometimes the standard is a cultural or family standard, but it no longer has a place in the life of a child of God. We need to be open to what the Lord shows us and be willing to make the adjustments necessary.
https://pixabay.com/photos/libra-weigh-balance-weigh-out-2759820/