I love a good DIY project. It wasn’t until recently that I’ve had space to tackle some larger projects. One of my main tools that I have handy is my trusty 25ft measuring tape. Now it’s nothing fancy, but it is reliable. How do I know that? Well because the company that makes this tool is solid, trustworthy. They have a gold standard, if you will, ensuring that each measuring tape is appropriately calibrated for accurate measuring. As I am sure you are aware, the measuring tape, while a small and seemingly insignificant tool, is vital for a project to succeed so much so that “measure twice, cut once” is the mantra in the construction world. I’m hoping to renovate our fireplace & create some built-ins soon. What would happen if I decided not to use my measuring tape while tackling that project? I can tell you with absolute certainty that it would fail. While eyeballing some measurements might be okay for my smaller DIYs, that would not be the case for such a massive project. Such is the case of trying to live our daily lives without first seeking wisdom in God’s word. We might be able to fake it for a while from the things we learned as kids in Sunday school, youth group, or even VBS; but over time those measurements might get jumbled up and fuzzy, unless we are daily going to the source – the ultimate measuring tape – God’s word.
Now imagine this, I’m getting ready to cut up a 2×4. I pull out my measuring tape and think…hmmm, nah, I’ll just use this scrap piece of wood even though it’s a little warped. It should be fine, right? No! Of course not. Any carpenter/diy-er worth his/her salt would laugh straight in my face. Why? Because the scrap piece of wood is not trustworthy. It has no set standard, its been shaped and warped by various experiences; therefore, any piece that I cut using that scrap wood as a measuring tool would most assuredly lead to more warped, uneven wood pieces.
Today, I am speaking to the folks who profess to be Christians – the ones who profess Jesus as Lord and Savior, not the ones who say they are Christians simply because they attend church, have been raised in church all their life, because (insert family member) was a pastor (or other ministry position), or because you came from the Bible Belt where there are churches lined up side-by-side down main street so the “Christian” ideology just kind of oozes into the culture of your heritage. For those who fall into any of aforementioned categories, please stop reading now and send me a private message, because I’d LOVE nothing more than to share the Gospel of Jesus with you. Seriously, no condemnation, just a conversation on how Jesus changed this broken sinner and made her whole.
If you are still reading, then I’m going to assume that you are a fellow brother/sister in Christ. Yay! That is awesome! What you are about to read will sound harsh, because the truth can sound that way when our hearts are so ensnared in sin. But, please, I ask that you read this in a tone of love.
If you profess Jesus as Lord, then your first and ONLY standard of what is right and wrong should be the Bible. Not social media. Not television/celebrities. Not your friends. And last but most importantly not least – Not your family.
The above statement sounds contradictory coming from me, one who is writing and sharing these truths, yet I will say to you what my husband and I tell our children, “Don’t take our word for it, look, see that it is here in God’s Word. It is God’s standard, not ours.”
2 Timothy 3:15-17 tells us…”And how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”
- God’s word is divinely inspired.
- God’s word is sacred.
- God’s word makes us wise for salvation through Jesus.
- God’s word is true.
- God’s word is sufficient.
God is holy and cannot contradict himself; therefore, His word is truth. Not a truth, rather THE truth. It is profitable or sufficient for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. When we view God’s word in light of this revelation, then His word should become the ultimate measuring stick with which we measure everything. (1 John 4:1; Romans 12:2)
However, many Christians are opting to “do what feels right” and have begun to measure God’s word through the lens of pop culture or their own personal experiences which have been warped and marred by their own sin nature.
Jeremiah 17:9 clearly states, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick…”
Doing what feels right is a very slippery slope away from the true Gospel; however, what has me just as concerned are those who have been claiming the title of Christian for many, many years yet there has been no growth (Colossians 1:9-10; Galatians 5:22-23; 2 Peter 1:5-8). The writer of Hebrews admonishes those believers in chapter 5 verses 11-14 who are yet babes still on milk, rather than enjoying the hearty feast of deep spiritual growth. Why is this so upsetting and scary? If the current generation of believers, who are supposed to be spiritually “mature”, are still but babes themselves, then how can we expect the next generation be strongly rooted in God’s word.
It’s the same with those scrap pieces of wood. If I were to use each new piece as a guide for the subsequent measurement, then with each new cut would be a more distorted standard of the original. Which would be in essence…worthless.
It bears a heavy weight, but must be asked…is God’s word the ultimate standard for your life? Are you daily in God’s word firmly rooting His wisdom in your heart and mind? Or are you allowing your words and actions be measured by a warped version of Christianity?
In Christ’s redeeming love,
The Broken Smile 