God has always had a STANDARD. The OPINION of a crotch-grabbing, pot-smoking, alcohol-guzzling, fornicating, gender-confused, cheating, you owe me a trophy & a check world...can never change it. Culture CANNOT change God's STANDARD.
There is NO CREDENCE when worldly lifestyles applaud worldly lifestyles.
It matters not how many people go along with it. If The Bible (The Standard) calls something a SIN...it is a sin. No amount of AMENDING, BLENDING or TRENDING can alter its plumb line.
What is a plumb line?
A plumb line is a tool used by builders & painters to find the true vertical. Basically, a leaded weight is suspended from a string & gravity then makes the string hang perfectly straight. This enables a builder to build & a painter to paint exactly.
In The Bible, God references a plumb line a few times. In Isaiah 28:16-17 God says, "BEHOLD, I AM THE ONE WHO HAS LAID A FOUNDATION IN ZION, A STONE...AND I WILL MAKE JUSTICE THE LINE AND RIGHTEOUSNESS THE PLUMB LINE." God says that justice & righteousness are the standard by which His people will be measured.
A plumb line exposes anything that is crooked.
God's Word is the only true standard we have for assessing our actions. In fact, Psalm 119:11 says, "I HAVE STORED UP YOUR WORD IN MY HEART, THAT I MIGHT NOT SIN AGAINST YOU."
God's Word reveals God's standards.
God is absolutely perfect & pure, and sin of any kind is an offense to Him. That's why the Bible says we have "all sinned & fallen short" ... because His standards (ways) are much higher than ours.
What I love about God is that He opened up a way for us to come to Him...in spite of our fallen nature & sin! A way for us to be forgiven of all our sins & clothed in perfect righteousness. That way is Jesus Christ. He was without sin, but on the cross all our sins were transferred to Him & He died in our place. Now by faith in Him we can be forgiven & cleaned of our sins & made ready for eternity!
If you are a follower of Jesus, you are responsible for truth. Even if you're struggling to live it, you must never deny it. If we remove THE STANDARD because we can't live up to it at that moment, we will have removed the only landmark that points us to wholeness.
The church is called to lead culture - not live in constant reaction to it. We're the head...not the tail!
We are desperate to have a STANDARD of speech that is FREE of racial discrimination...where people continue to say things like, 'White this"..."Black this"...etc., A STANDARD that speaks the NEW COVENANT not the overtones of ignorance. A STANDARD of a clean mouth & a pure heart. "From the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." (Matthew 12:34)
Do you have a BIBLICAL STANDARD in your life?
The world needs to hear more than a DEFINITION...they need to see APPLICATION.
This is why we need Spiritual Fathers & Mothers! Those in our ranks who possess the fear of The Lord & who love us enough to tell us to straighten up, stop sleeping with people you're not married to, pull your pants up, shun the very appearance of evil, consecrate your life, sanctify your heart & run after God with everything that's in you!
May 2021 be the year we see Zion #Restored!
(Isaiah 1:27)
