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It is in man’s nature to measure his abilities and strength against others. Already from a child onward it is in him to compete, who is the strongest, the cleverest or the best. Sport and Science gives us many examples. As long as this serves for the wellbeing and for positive development, no one can dispute such a healthy zeal. In Genesis we read that God created man after His own image. (Genesis 1:26) The man lived in the Garden of Eden in closest and heartfelt fellowship with his Creator. But the adversary understood, by his subtlety, to bring the first people out of balance. He seized them at their weakest point, that is: wanting to be like God. This they could not resist.

Through disobedience, God’s planned harmony with them destroyed. Man was torn out and separated from God’s closeness and suddenly forced to stand on his own feet, after enjoying life in Eden. But God gave him the promise on his way to send someone who would remove this separation into all eternity. Although God gave man laws and through authorized messengers, (judges, kings, prophets) guiding principles and directions to help their lives, they lost more and more of the Godly standard. They did not heed what God said anymore. In the true sense of the word, they became presumptuous and put themselves in the place of God and made themselves the standard of all things. Many examples prove this in the Old Testament. The time of Noah (Genesis 6:5) or the Tower of Babel. (Genesis 11:1-9) Even Godly punishment could not bring the majority of the people to change their way and return to God.

Even when God made His promise come to fulfilment, in that He sent His Son Jesus Christ into the world, when He became man, reachable for the people, to be felt and experienced, even then He was not known nor accepted. He became for many people inconvenient and a thorn in the eye because He made it distinctly clear, that the measuring line, which they laid on their lives, was a completely wrong measure. Self-conceit, hypocrisy, lust of power made them blind to discern the true measure, the standard and healing plan of God. Jesus’ preaching in love, His call to turn and repent, His words of Truth were classed as infamous and God slandering. They sought after His life and lastly succeeded to condemn and crucify Him. So, they hoped to have silenced Him for ever, but their plan went wrong. This Christ remained not in death. This measuring line could not be broken.

God has highly exalted His Son and given Him a name above every name. (Philippians 2:9) In Him shall all find and their direction and before Him every knee shall bow. Since then, nearly 2000 years have passed and when we view the world and the people, we realize that since then very little has changed. Ethical and moral worth’s are getting more and more undermined and thrown overboard. One’s opinion is that God’s orders are outdated, and anti-godliness is raised to normality. Also, for us as Christians, face the danger to submit ourselves to these wrong rules and standards, after the motto: what thousands are doing, cannot be wrong!

Therefore, it is always most important for us to keep the standard of Jesus Christ before our eyes, of which the Apostle Paul wrote. As the cabinet maker constantly uses the ruler for his work that it will measure to size, so should we measure our lives constantly on the standard of Jesus Christ. This is the STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED BUT WHO HAS BECOME THE HEAD OF THE CORNER. NEITHER IS THERE SALVATION IN ANY OTHER, FOR THERE IS NO OTHER NAME UNDER HEAVEN  GIVEN AMONG MEN, WHEREBY WE MUST BE SAVED. (Acts 4:11-12)

No one must say that this standard may be too high or too weak. Even for the cabinet maker’s apprentice, the ruler is most important, though he is not able to perform faultless. The piece of work will only turn out to the satisfaction of the master and the customer if the right measure was used. We won’t get far in our life to reach our goal if we don’t start to use this measure line of Jesus Christ ourselves.