The Standard of Living

Our granddaughter, Stella, is three. She lives in a home with no TV but she watches videos and movies – and loves them. She is pretty bright and has had a good vocabulary for a while now. Over the last couple of months she has dropped to one word sentences. I have been listening to her parents make her use whole sentences again. If she doesn’t ask for something with a complete sentence she doesn’t get it. 

When I asked my daughter about this she said that Stella had been watching a video with rabbits (sorry, I am out of touch with children’s videos so I don’t know the name). The youngest rabbit follows the older ones around and makes his requests with one word. The one I overheard he was asking for “apple” or “muffin”. He just walks around saying one word and the adults or older siblings – who are using full sentences (lest you think he is doing this because of some verbal inability of rabbits) respond to him.

Apparently my granddaughter thought this looked like a pretty efficient method of communicating and she started using one word sentences.  It takes a few days to see it has become a habit. Now, she is back to full sentences – with some effort on her parents’ part – and that video is history!  I have been struck by how strong such a subtle influence was in her life. That is the only place she heard that kind of communication but she adapted her ways to follow it.

This made me realize how moldable we are.  It speaks to how important it is to be careful who we listen to and how we live. I was reading a book that was talking about weaknesses in church leadership. It is our nature to compare ourselves to each other. So, as Christians, if we are in a church where other believers are not living according to God’s Word in all things we find ourselves looking pretty good in comparison. We tend to reach the level of Christian maturity of those around us and we emulate who we think is doing it right. If the leaders of the church aren’t living biblically, then the membership will set their own bar for compliance to God’s word a little lower.

My granddaughter used a video as her grammar teacher. Clearly she was using the wrong teacher, a teacher with no real standard. Her parents had set the standard a lot higher and she is more than capable of rising to meet it.

What influences how you and I live? It can be self-gratifying to compare ourselves to each other and come away pretty proud of how well we’re doing in the Christian life.  We can even go to leaders and seek advice or just observe how they live and do what they’re doing and think we have it all under control, “God is pleased.”

God has set a higher standard than other people. Romans 8:29 says, “For those whom He (God) foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.”   

We are to be conformed to the image of God’s Son, Jesus. He was sinless and though we cannot be sinless in this life we can rise way above the bar that is set for us by each other. Jesus obeyed His Father. Everything He did He did for the will and purposes of God. Can you and I say the same thing? Is our highest goal in this life to please and honor God?  We’re quick to say yes but we are also quick to want things our own way, to gratify our flesh and not our Savior.

Christians will sin – in thought, in word, and in deed, every day – from leadership down we are all guilty.  Part of the problem is that many of us see it and know it as sin but we justify it by comparing ourselves to others.  We seem to think that this is how God works. If I commit this sin but am still being more obedient than others, then I’m good with God.  The truth we have to come face to face with is that the only One we are ever compared to by God is the image of Jesus Christ.

This is actually great news! We cannot measure up to the sinlessness of Christ but when we are willing to take an honest account of our own sin and confess it – He promises to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Washed clean, our sin is removed and we are right with God. He is pleased.

So, movies and videos can be entertaining, other people can be friends and leaders, and books can be helpful, but the only One we want to set the standard for how we will speak and live is the Lord Jesus Christ.