The Golden Standard

What is the Golden Standard of the bible? Why is this so important to hear about? How will recognizing this standard help me on a daily basis thru out my life?

1 Peter 1:14-25

14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for

“All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

So when we sum all this up I want us to take the time and look at a key word. Obedient this appears in some form 8 times in 11 verses, to me that is an essential amount of times for something to be written in a repeating context in such a small passage.

Now if you are looking at obedient, it is all dependent on what you are being obedient to. In this case we are being called to be obedient to God. Which means taking the nature of what you are being obedient to. The characteristics of God become evident because of obedience that follows.

on the opposite end of the spectrum, if you are being obedient to lets say your work. Now your work for this example, your a thief. You do this to make ends meet, and stay alive. The rules of which a thief lives by is much different. You never hear of the good thief.

So the most common thing I hear from grown adults, is why should I hear about this, because I live a good life already. This is called the self - standard, also known as autonomy, humanism, or even referred to as secularism. A lot of self law, self rules, with a set of guidelines that the bible tells us is self righteous, hate, wrath, drunkiness, and such that was said Gal 5:19-21

This is also to be reflected on our “Christian Walk” with standards. What is it that we are being obedient to? So much even in our faith with God, we put a standard that hasn’t been put on us. We tell ourselves we can’t do this or that, no ministry because or until I get right with God, or I am in the right place, or the right situations come along.

What God is it that you are serving? That your standards outweigh and have more authority than God? I am going to throw this out there, How many ministries and kingdom building purposes have been put on hold or even not started because of the standards we put on ourselves than the calling of what God has for us.

When we start to dictate what we can do or should do, rather than allow God to have say of the who, what, where, when, and why.....we are in serious trouble.

I mean this in the most sincere way, but you will not find religious groupings or denominations in the bible. In fact, the word Christian appears three times in Bible. But the world is so titled, with denominations and religion, we forget the purpose of what its about. When you have to meet a certain requirement to go to church, or be around the body of saints, that is telling you something.

How we came to God in our sin and darkest times, but now have to maintain some certain standard? When you were a this dark little heathen, God could and did hear your cries and your heart, so now your a “christian” and because your in a dry spot or a funk, God doesnt hear you???? This is perplexing to me....

So than what is obedience? It is coming from a state on non obedience or non compliance, and taking the characteristics and/or nature of authority and following.

When we are in the state of obedience, we adhere to the calling of God, we take on a characteristic and nature of the one we are following. Much like in the same chapter referred to earlier, but vs 22-25 love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Those become our nature in obedience with God. You can obey love with hate, or hate with love.

I want to give you a few names…Hosea, Joel, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi these are some names that should sound familiar because they are books of the bible. We dont know much about most of them, there before or post message life. But we do know that with no resume, or special introduction by the major prophets, these men were used for the particular season not based off of merit, but because God needed His people to hear a message, and needed obedient servant to do the work.

So Today I want you to ask yourself, what standards are you living by? Yours, your loved ones, maybe work, or whatever it may be....or is it God’s. You aren’t supposed to be perfect, and we don’t serve a Yes God, but we do serve a God when you willing to say yes, He is more the willing to make the way and all the ends meet in the right place at the right time. If going to church has so many requirements that sometimes you cant go because you feel you don’t meet them… you missed the point in the first place. God knows our true heart, He knows our desires, but most importantly He knows His will for us and in us. Could you put away yourself today, put away religion, put away the standards of the people around us, and come back to the God who gave you salvation and reconciliation just the way you were in the very beginning. A broken heart, unclean person, whos wages of sin was death, who now has everlasting life because of your faith in the one standard, king of kings, Jesus Christ… our Lord.