Determining the standard in life
When I was start ing seminary, my wife and I bought our first personal computer. Many of my friends and professors were using Mac or Commodore brand computers. However, a few folks I trusted told me to go with IBM or a compatible, because it would be the future standard of personal and business computers. So, I bought a Tandy 1000 and it proved to be a great choice. Like anything else, it eventually became obsolete, so I graduated to the various Pentiums and stayed within the standard of Microsoft programming. Sorry Mac/Apple folks, but I still use one today except on my iPad.
I faced a similar challenge when we bought our first VCR.
We wanted to buy a video camera and a player for our home movies, and at the time, you could choose between VHS or Beta format. Again, I was told VHS would become the standard, so we bought an RCA camera and a VHS player. Later it would be replaced by the disc player/recorder. Choosing which disc player to buy was complicated later by choices in high-definition disk variations. Eventually, one standard won. The digital recorder brought new standards, and today, there are multiple ways to record events on personal devices and on smart televisions. Should we speak of smart tv choices? Let’s not.
I’m old enough to remember the challenge between 8-track and cassette formats, and now it is the challenge of choosing between Android or iPhone. In a world of so many choices, and changing standards, it is sometimes very hard to know what choice to make.
This challenge of choosing the right standard has spilled over into the realm of faith. Today there are many choices of standard churches and individuals are facing. One standard has not changed God’s standard. There have been and there will always be changes to the way God’s standard is lived out and even expressed, but God Himself says, “I do not change.” His character does not change, His conduct does not change and His standard does not change. His standard is holiness and perfection. Again, He says, “Be holy, for I am holy.” Since we cannot meet His standard, He provides a path to His standard-His perfect, sinless son Jesus. In the spiritual realm, we should ask, “which standard will prevail throughout eternity?” The answer, “God’s standard.” For me, I choose Jesus, the means of that perfect standard.
