Let's not belittle Standards or limit God!

1Thessalonians 4:1 Moreover, brethren, since you have learned from us how you should conduct yourselves and please God, and this is what you are doing, we beg and beseech you in the name of the Lord Jesus to walk in this respect from progress to progress.

John 15:8 If you bear much fruit, my Father will be glorified, and you will be my disciples.

God's Word challenges us to keep going from strength to strength in what we do for God, and to bear much fruit. All the while knowing that we have everything we need to fulfill this recommendation (1 Peter 1:3).
But, unfortunately, we don't mind having low standards.

The guarantee of heaven after death is our great comfort, even if we don't reveal all that God has given us here on earth.

Our standard is found in what others do, forgetting that our race is not with pedestrians (ordinary men), but rather with horses (Jeremiah 12:5).

We think we're extraordinary, implemented because we've surpassed a few people doing the same thing as us.

We've come to consider ourselves lucky even in the face of failure, because quite simply we're the only one with a mark of 9/20 ahead of dozens of competitors, none of whom managed to exceed an average of 8/20.

A church operating in a country with a population of 25 million, for example, will only dream of reaching 500 people. Who will be left with the 24,999,500 people to save? And with that, the leader claims to be considered the "father" of the Gospel in his country.

So strong was Paul's passion for souls that he had to say in Romans 9:3 that he himself would like to be anathema and separated from Christ for his brethren... .

A few testimonies of healings and deliverances at the hands of the man of God have him dancing and jubilant as if he'd just broken a world record, or like a cyclist who'd just crossed the finishing line first, to the point of spreading the news with pictures all over the social networks, so that no one would be unaware.

What about prayer prowess? A few hours spent in God's presence is enough to make you feel exceptional and better than any other person in your generation.

Christ's words, "You will make greater things because I am going to the Father", no longer challenge us (John 14:12).

If only we in our generation could follow the example of personal challenge set by the apostle Paul when he wrote: " . . one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching out for what lies ahead" (Philippians 3:13).

 

"It's never too late to (re) start doing better with the Lord."

Pastor Ben ILuka