Standard

          As young adults, my friends and I often talk about relationships. We are at a stage in our lives where we are defining the standard we want our potential partners to uphold. Often times, we remind each other not to lower our standards, but to only settle with one who exemplifies these standards we have set.
          Just as we have standards for the people we decide to date, God has a standard that He requires us to live by. And we are not to lower them for the sake of others, even for the sake of our own lives. As Christians, we are called to be salt and light in the world (Matthew 5.13-16). We are called to be different from others, from those of the world (Romans 12.1-2). This means we have to do things differently, repspond to things differently, look at things through a different lens. Our walk should be different, our speech should be different, as well as our passions and our desires. We are called to exalt the Lord and glorify Him in all that we do (1 Corinthians 10.31, Colossians 3.17).
          However, many times, I find myself trying to see how much of the world I can mix with this standard of God. But there is a danger in living in a gray area, blending righteous living with evil living (Revalation 3.15-16) and God will not stand for it. Anything that is not of the Lord is against Him (Matthew 12.30). But God knew the struggle we would face, living on this earth, so He has given us instructions in the Bible on how to live righteously.
          There are lessons all throughout the entire Word to demonstrate this standard the Lord has established for us. But Jesus tells us of one commandment that is the greatest: it is to love the Lord with all our heat, with all our soul, and with all our strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves. This command is centered on love. So intersting it is to base life on this simple principle of love. But what is love? 1 Corinthians 12.4-8 tells us that "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues,they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away." Furthermore, 1 John 4.8 tells us that God is love. If God is love, He must exmplify all these attributes that are love. And if we are commanded to love God and love each other, we too must exmplify these attributes that are love, thus living as God would have us. Alas, the standard is identified.
          Love is all we need to live a righteous life. This is the stnadard God has called us to uphold. We must rely on the strength and teaching of the Lord and the convicting power of the Holy Spirit to live to such a code of conduct. And God promises if we just wait on Him, we will make it thorugh this race called life. We will have new strength, running without being tired, walking without fainting (Isaiah 40.31). His comfroting love with always be with us leading us on that path of rightouesness. Rely on the Lord and He will teach you how to live to the standard He has set for our lives. Be blessed all ye!

Blessings