Standards

I heard a story about a company that wanted to hire a tour bus driver to drive a mountainous route that had some hard turns along the way. In the first interview the applicant was asked how close he thought he would drive to the edge of the road when going around some of the sharp turns. The applicant replied that he thought he probably could drive within two of the edge. The second applicant was asked the same question, and his answer was one and a half feet. The third applicant was asked the question and boasted that he could drive a foot from the edge. Finally, the last applicant was asked the same question. His answer was much different than the other three. “I would stay as far away from the edge as possible,” he replied. The last applicant was, of course, the one who was hired.

Whether this is an actual story or just something made up for an analogy, it is still applicable to our Christian life and walk with the Lord. God wants us to stay away from sin. He is not interested in seeing just how strong we are and how close we can get before we fall into it; rather, He would have us set a standard that would keep us as far from sin as possible. Lot chose the land nearer Sodom and Gomorrah and eventually ended up living in the cities that were so sinful that 10 Christians could not be found in them. Lot’s wife grew to love the cities so much that she disobeyed God, and looked back, resulting in her death. God says we are to be separate from the world, not try to conform to its values, beliefs, fashions, and lifestyle. You Do Not have to speak the language of the world for it to understand you.

Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Standards are to bring us as close to our perfect God as we can get, not to let us get as close to the world (sin) as we can "comfortably" get.