January 9, 2025 – “A Different Standard” – by Paul Smith

A Different Standard
When the winter Olympic ice-skating finals are being performed there are a panel of judges that are chosen to judge how well the skater did their routine. The judges are supposed to be impartial above all else, but I wonder if that is the case at times. Another thing I often question is are they all judging by the same standards? What may be important to one judge may not be to the next. How those few judges judge their performance could change the skater’s life. To try and prevent some errors, the event may throw out the highest and lowest numbers. It is all quite subjective in the end.
On a more personal note. We too are judged by some of our friends, family, and even strangers. That is also very subjective and there is little we can do about it. Each applies their own standards through their rose-colored glasses.
God loves you not according to some standard set by the world. God chose you not according to some standard set by other humans we may or may not know. God blesses you not because of some standard we cannot ultimately keep.
God is totally independent of any outside influence. He makes no mistakes. He has His own standards, and they are perfect. How can we meet God’s standards. We cannot but Jeus came, lived among us and met His Father’s standards perfectly because He too was God in flesh. Through faith in Jesus, we too can meet God’s standards.
“Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” John 6:29 NIV