The Standard is The Standard
Every Tuesday at noon Mike Tomlin, Head Coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, has his weekly news
conference during the NFL season. There are four subjects he covers during his weekly conference. He first assesses the results
of their previous game. Then he gives an update to the injury report. After that he talks about their upcoming game and what
they’re up against. And finally he answers any questions the media has for him. Over a period of time you get to see
the characteristics of the Head Coach and how it rubs off on the players. You also see how his characteristics line up with
the organization’s belief system; which in the Steelers case is pretty good since this is only their 3rd
Head Coach since 1969. Whenever a player gets injured there will always be a backup to take his place. A backup is a backup
because he is not good enough to start. However, Tomlin’s assessment of a backup’s performance at his position
doesn’t change just because he’s a backup. Whenever a player’s performance, or lack thereof, is brought
up in relation to the individual’s length of preparation time, returning from an injury, or etc., Mike Tomlin’s
response is the same; the standard is the standard. What does he mean by that? What he means is that whether the player is
a starter or a backup, the expectations are the same.
Now, as followers of Jesus Christ, we must remember and recognize that God’s standard is the standard we must
live by. There are no alternatives and there are no variations. God’s standard has been the same since the beginning
of time. God’s standard is the same for every single person. But what we tend to do is substitute a part of God’s
standard with our own form of standard to justify whatever it is we want to do (i.e. I’m doing pretty good for myself).
And whenever we do that we begin to be self-righteous. We start to believe that our standard of living is the only true standard.
We then alter our own standards when our situations change in order to continue to justify our actions. We also compare our
standards with what we perceive as other people’s standards to further justify our behavior (i.e. I ain’t as bad
as them). And as we continue down this road we get further away from God’s standard, while all this time we think we’re
getting closer.
So why can’t we follow God’s standard? Why do we see time and time again the total disregard for God’s
presence in our lives? To answer the second question it is that we don’t know who God truly is and our absolute need
of Him. God tells us in Hosea 4:6 that “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected
knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget
your children.” Now before you say that this was just for the priests in the Old Testament, let me direct you to
1 Peter 2:9 as it tells us, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special
people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” We (those
who are saved) are God’s royal priesthood. But if we don’t learn who God truly is and His standard for our life,
then this world will destroy you.
Now let’s get back to the first question of why we can’t follow God’s standard. Quite simply…we
don’t want to. You weren’t expecting that! Yes, the answer as to why we can’t follow God’s standard
is because we simply don’t want to. This simple answer is the summation and culmination of all the excuses, the predisposing
factors, and the finger pointing we can come up with that prevents us from living by God’s standard. If you think about
it, everything that you do in your day to day life is what you want to do. If the doctor tells you that you need to exercise
in order to live longer, you will make time in your day to do so. Will you do the same for Jesus? Will you make time for Jesus?
He warns us in Matthew 10:33 that “But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.”
As followers
of Christ we must ask ourselves do I want to be an average Christian or an extraordinary Christian? Accepting Jesus Christ
as your personal Lord and Savior brings you to heaven and secures your eternal life. But when you live your life according
to God’s standard, you bring heaven to you. This is when you allow the Holy Spirit to shine through you in all of your
decisions and in every aspect of your life. Let us live our life by God’s standard and not tread through life just to
get by. Whenever your faith is tested, do you stand firm or do you compromise? It’s all predicated on God’s standard
in your life. Live by His standard, because God never changes (Malachi 3:6).
