Bible Reading: Titus 3:1-11
Throughout history, people have used different systems to buy and sell goods. Each of these systems have one thing in common: they create a standard of value. One of these monetary
standards is the “Gold Standard.”
In the Gold Standard, the monetary value of everything is based on a quantity of gold. A value is put on a specific quantity of gold. Then government-issued paper money is used to buy and sell with the guarantee that each piece of paper money is equal to or worth a given amount of gold.
God has a standard for human behavior: The Jesus Standard. What is The Jesus Standard? Perfection. It doesn't matter if we are “less of a sinner” or “less bad” than Hitler or Mussolini or Fred down the street. In order to go to heaven, we must live as perfectly as Jesus lived.
That is obviously impossible. Romans 3:23 (NLT) says, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” We can’t live up to The Jesus Standard on our own. That is why, by faith, we need to believe and accept Jesus' perfection as our own. Titus 3:5-7 say, “He [God] saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”
When we tell God we are sorry for not being able to live up to The Jesus Standard, God will forgive us. From then on, the perfection of The Jesus Standard is ours. We become like Jesus. With Jesus’ Holy Spirit in our lives, we are guaranteed to receive the reward of eternal life in heaven.
“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.” John 1:12 & 13
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for making a way for me to live up to The Jesus Standard. In Jesus' name. Amen.