Everyone in the world, and….i suppose every living thing in the world, is always choosing, as was mentioned in a previous program. But our ability to choose is based on our ability to discern the differences between our choices. That discerned difference is based on some standard in us which we got from somewhere and someone.

i heard a talk given at a conference a while back in which the speaker was saying they did a study of the ability of women to tell the difference between nail polish colors. They picked 3 different colors of pink, that difference was based on the manufacturers labeling, they removed the labels, and asked a panel of women if there was a difference. All the women said there was no difference in the three samples. When the experimenters placed the labels on the appropriate bottles, suddenly, the women re-decided, saying, “Oh yes, i can really see the difference now.” Clearly, the ability to choose depends on our ability to discern differences, and they didn’t see the difference until someone told them there was a difference.

By what standard do we base our discernment on? And my standard is not necessarily your standard. In Judges 17:6, the idea is that everyone did according to their own standards of what they consider right and wrong, good and bad. It says, “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”

It’s a beautiful evening, so enjoy the cool jazz and ponder our contemplative conversation concerning “Standards: Where do you get yours?”, and we shall return after a moment of repose.

Mankind has decided on so many variations of standards. It’s becoming increasingly more evident the top thinkers of this world system want everyone and everything to become stable, predictable and measurable, but according to what standard of stability, predictability, and measureability? Hmmm…top thinkers according to who and by what standard are they “top thinkers”? Doctors tell us that the “standard of care” for cancer or some other affliction is the accepted and approved way of dealing with our issues. But more often than not, the side effects far out way the benefits, but yet the “standard of care” is still pushed as the accepted and approved medical procedure…..which speaks to me that the purported standard is not the real standard. i believe when we’re told, “Oh this is the standard of care”, it really means, “This is what we always do, whether it works or not.”

In our society we have devices which give us standards and as example, thermometers, tape measures, volt meters, clocks, and even some baby bottles which measure in Imperial, U.S. customary, and metric, all on the same bottle. There are economic standards, measuring standards, surveying standards, weight standards like  Avoirdupois based on 16 ounces in a pound, Troy based on 12 ounces in a pound, standards of grammar, and on and on, ad naseum.

There are measuring systems or standards in the world of all sorts… but the truth is, here it is: units of measurement are essentially arbitrary; in other words, people make them up and then agree to use them. There is almost, and note the use of the word “almost”, almost nothing inherent in the universe which dictates that an inch has to be a certain length, or that a mile is a better measure of distance than a kilometre. Over the course of human history, however, first for convenience and then for necessity, standards have evolved so that communities would have certain common benchmarks.

In our striving for standards to live by we’ve even come up with government run institutions which are responsible for being the bottom line for standards, like the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

A musical group tunes to the same standard, if they didn’t, everything would be chaos. A lot of folks really resent rules and standards, but if there were no particular standards, we would still be in the stone age. But in a way, our society has become so inundated with standards about standards with standards about how to keep the standards, a lot of folks have simply begun doing what Israel did…..and every person went into their own house and did what they felt was right in their own eyes. Some have actually declared there is no real truth except for what they want it to be. Honestly, that sounds more like an attempt to justify any crime or cruel thing someone may want to do.

If i took a fearless moral inventory of my neighbor, i would be passing and failing them according to my idea of what is right and wrong. They may not appreciate my standards at all. Besides, it’s not my job to make sure other people get it right, it’s their job to take their own inventory and take action to be straight with the Lord. Romans 14:4-5, “Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.”

And then…. there are our personal standards, and boy howdy, now the idea of standards gets very hazy, totally subjective, and extremely difficult to see.

What are your standards? Where did you get them? We’ll be right back.

        All the standards in this world are indeed dizzying. Everyone trying to find a means of agreement, but yet it seems we all so consistently disagree, in general. We’re so easily offended, which drives us to being naturally defensive, making the entire human race roughly a bunch of very contrary people. In the words of a well known author, It would seem the stupid ones are overly confident in their own mind, and the brilliant seem so full of doubts.

i believe we all want harmony but can’t seem to agree on our means of unity. Oh my, what will we do, what will we do? Maybe the question, What CAN we do? could be a good place to start.

Isaiah 59:19 “So shall they fear The name of the LORD from the west, And His glory from the rising of the sun; When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard….”

i’m confident in today’s world we need a better standard of how to live and act, other than the standards and definitions according to the whim of men, bureaucrats, and twisted thinkers. Today’s world certainly has very fluid standards and mobile boundaries, so we absolutely shouldn’t be willing to define right and wrong by such worldly subjective standards –We need a more sure standard who does not change, is reliable, consistent and repeatable, does not lie, and loves us enough to not only help us, but He IS our help, hope and redemption.

Contrary to confused objectors, the media, and the voice of a self-defining, self-declaring world, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and King Jesus himself ARE the standard. Rest assured Jesus is the RIGHT standard, the standard of all standards by which the universe is measured. Isaiah 11:10 (NKJV) “And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a standard and a banner to the people; For the Gentiles shall seek Him, And His resting place shall be glorious.”

For many the media has become the great discipler, and the news service is often taken as the truth, and truly sometimes it is, ?but how can we tell what is true and what is not, when so much of the same media service is NOT true too? We need something, someone more believable. We say it is God, but is it really? If we really really believe the Lord is truly who He says He is, it should be a radical game changer. Is God your bottom line? Think about it and be honest, brutally, the unvarnished truth please. We can’t keep lying to ourselves and be surprised when we eventually don’t know which way is up anymore. If we can’t be honest with God and ourselves above all else, how do we expect to be honest with the rest of the world?

Jesus Christ is the standard and example, the pinnacle of all things a human should be. He is the standard – not in size, not in age – but in moral, ethical and principle character. Many preachers, and multitudes of professing people, are engaged in a relentless pursuit to find out just how many imperfections and infidelities, and how much inward wrongness is allowable with a quote/unquote “safe state” in Christianity…how bad can it be before they’re not ok anymore…..oh but how few, very few, are bringing out the fair Gospel standard.

“Our Standard is Christ” because Christ is the only standard …and listen now, this is not a marketing slogan— it is a commitment. Jesus set the standard for how we are to live with others, how we deal with ideas and concepts, understand the world, love and forgive, set personal goals and boundaries, and focus on what matters in life. Any other standard would be secondary to this high calling for every believer. Philippians 3:14 “ I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” In attempting this discussion about what standards are important to us, i think we should also be willing to explore another question: what other standards could there be?  Any other standard we might consider is insignificant in comparison to “Our Standard is Christ.”

As believers in Christ and those who live in His Name, we hold the Bible to be the truth; we believe Jesus is who He says He is; we believe God and the Bible are the bottom line for our morals, principles, ethics, conduct, and character, cover-to-cover, from beginning to end. We have met the Lord and by our profession, we accept Jesus Christ as our standard.

Everything Jesus did with others reflected the nature of God – from the work He did alongside Joseph as a carpenter’s apprentice – to preaching the Sermon on the Mount.  From conversation over a meal, to struggling with fatigue from the business of the day, to the way He developed relationships – it was all about showing and living the nature and love of God.

Every outward action in the life of Jesus grew from an inward spiritual strength, and so, for Him and for us, we can’t focus on the outcome without linking it to the indwelling of God in our heart, soul, and mind.

Psalm 118:8-9 “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. 9 It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.”

Proverbs 3:5-7 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. ⁷ Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil.”

With Christ, not wise men or this world, but Jesus as our standard, and our allowing God to direct our path, rest assured He will bring us to our best … and then propel us beyond what we think is achievable or possible. J.C. Ryle said, “The standard of the world, and the standard of the Lord Jesus, are indeed widely different. They are more than different. They are flatly contradictory one to the other.”

And dear family, nobody cheats and succeeds by trying to possess worldly standards and God Standards both. You cannot play both sides. You cannot love, like Jesus said in Luke 16:13, both God and the world.

Jesus Himself is our standard, the bread and butter of our faith. i think i’m encouraging everyone to consider carefully by what standards you live, not to breed a war, for that’s not the attitude of a soldier in the army of the Living God, but to encourage us all to take God seriously in all accounts and by all means. i suppose for those who would ask, “What exactly is your point”, i would ask the question, “Is He God or not? And if He is, then act like it!” That’s pretty pointed, but at the same time it’s a very relative question for the days we live in where we’re overwhelmed with choices and most of us can’t hardly tell the differences between one option and the other. Christ is a distinct and obvious standard, and the gospel is really simple. Is He God or not? And if He is, let’s act like it.

Think about it!

Thank you for listening! i hope you’ve enjoyed the contemplative conversation and cool jazz in the middle of a chaotic world.

This has been Outposts, a fine establishment in the crook of the river, at the end of Old Field Road. i’m Social Porter and this program has been brought to you by Living In His Name Ministries, Hill Top Garage, Ed Zangerle at Zangerle’s Farrier service, Rev. Mark Fox in Mars Hill, Kevin, Perry and Tommy of the Mebane Freedom League, Williams Painting, and Trinity Bakers, where there’s always something good in the oven.

Music was by the Pete Minger Quartet, Michael Blake, Paul McCandless, Didier Malherbe, and Terence Blanchard. All music use is licensed by BMI.

By what standard do we base our discernment on? M y standard is not necessarily your standard. Let us have our harmony within the Body of Christ by choosing Christ as our standard of unity. Give God all the Glory,
“You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.”

And at that, i’ll say good night and be blessed, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen.