Our Standard of Living
The standard of living refers to the quality and quantity of goods and services available to people, and the way these goods and services are distributed within a population. It is generally measured by standards such as income inequality, poverty rate, real (i.e. inflation adjusted) income per person. Other measures such as access and quality of health care, educational standards and social rights are often used as well.
The standard of living in the United States is one of the top 15 in the world by the standard economist measure of standard of living. Per capita income is high but also less evenly distributed than in most other developed countries; The right to an adequate standard of living encompasses several more specific rights, including the right to food, the right to health, the right to water, the right to necessary social services, the right to clothing, and the right to housing. It is the right to basic needs.
In the 1950s and 1960s, a working man could support a family at a middle-class standard of living with just one income. It might surprise you to learn that one person working full-time, even at minimum wage, can still support a family of four at that standard of living, but nowadays we call that "living in poverty." Quote of Wisebread.com
How many of you eat out at least 1 time a week, 2 times or more. How many of you ate out 2 or more times a year Back then you considered eating out going over to grandmas house for lunch on Sunday after church. You see over the years we as society have raised our standard of living, but our government hasn’t. It is possible to live on one income if we are willing to live at the standards people lived at in the 1950’s. We have made a trade, we have said Both of us will work so we can give our kids the things we didn’t have. Unfortunately, this has come to pass. Yes, I said unfortunately. We are giving our children and ourselves far more in material possessions. But we are also giving our kids a lot more things now that parents didn’t give their kids in the 1950’s such as consecutive evenings home alone, ignoring their basic need for love and affection and attention, lack of discipline, the attitude of looking out for number one(and I’m not referring to God). When people say you have to look out for number one I think they are absolutely right! But your number one better be your God We have lowered of standards for a higher standard of living. Our government hasn’t changed our standard of living we have, by making our own decision on what is poverty. People in the 1950’s would gladly live on what we know view as below poverty level.
However, in the spiritual realm we have done just the opposite. Our governor(God Almighty) hasn’t lowered our standard of living, but we are on a down hill spiral as a society to dropping far below God’s standards. The church has lowered her standards because we have allowed corruption to creep into our leadership. The word leadership refers the ability to affect human behavior so as to accomplish a mission designated by the leader. The mission of our church leaders has been compromised. Our mission has gone from saving souls to building more successful churches. Only 1% of church growth today is from actual conversion. That sickens, alarms, and crushes me. We aren’t doing our job. If you only had a 1% success rate in car sales as a sales man you would be fired very quickly. Dan Tucker. . Subtle changes that were brought about in the churches have lead to where we are today. The divorce rate, pornography, sexual sins, lying, stealing, drugs, alcohol, and addictions in general, it is the same in the church as it is in the world. We in the church are just better at hiding it than the world is, because for the most part we don’t want people in the church judging us like we sit and watch them judge others. We embrace sinners, but the moment they are saved we expect them to be perfect and if they aren’t then they are looked down upon. Why would Sister Jane Doe tell you she has a problem with shop lifting during one of your prayer meetings when she has heard you being so critical of the sinner who lives down the street who doesn’t report the extra money she‘s making on the side to the welfare dept because if she does she‘ll lose her benefits. Do you think Jane believes that your going to be understanding with her and love her with an agape love? Critical and judgmental spirits are killing the love of God. We must be honest with our selves and one another. We have no right to judge the sins of our fellow man when we ourselves have not yet attained. However, we do have a responsibility educate them to the truth to them in love. Our duty to educate them should not be motivated by the thoughts of “If I can tell them what they are doing wrong then maybe they will finally get themselves straightened up and won’t make such a fool of themselves. No it must be motivated by the fact that Jesus Christ loved them enough to die for them so that they could be reconciled to him, and yet they still haven’t come home and God must be missing them so much. You see when a child goes missing what are two things that motivate people who don’t know the child or the parents to go out and help look for them? #1 - The compassion they have for a hurt, sad, lonely, and lost child. #2 - The compassion they have for the parents who must be going out of their mind not knowing when or if that child will ever come home again. Our father has a bunch of hurt, sad, lonely and lost children out there and he has requested our help in finding them. Will you help? Will you sacrifice some of your comfort, your time, your finances, your pride, and your heart to help your father? I want you to image that you get a call saying your brother has gone missing. What would your response be? We’ll you know it makes my back hurt to do a lot of walking to I probably won’t be able to help with the search party. Well I have to work to provide a living for my family and I just can’t spare the time. You know I just don’t have any extra finances to give for making missing person posters. You don’t expect me to come down to that part of town and walk the streets knocking on peoples doors asking if they have seen my brother do you? We’ll you know he did a lot of mean things to me when I was a kid. Of course you wouldn’t dream of saying any of those things. But have we said those things to God? I know this isn’t an easy message, but in order for the corruption to move out and us to move on into the world there must be some change. We can not continue in the path in which we have taken. So how do we reverse this problem? In much the same way. We begin to allow God’s standards to creep out into the world. To look at this problem as a whole it seems impossible to fix, but let me remind you we serve a God for whom nothing is impossible
We must change our standards to equal the standard God has called us to. So what is that standard?
A standard is an established norm or requirement. Normal, everyday, requirement. You know living up to standards isn’t anything foreign to us as Christians. Let me give you some example:
A standard specification is an explicit set of requirements for an item, material, component, system or service. It is often used to formalize the technical aspects of a procurement agreement or contract. For example, there may be a specification for a turbine blade for a jet engine which defines the exact material and performance requirements.
A standard procedure (or standard practice) gives a set of instructions for performing operations or functions. For example, there are detailed standard operating procedures for operation of a nuclear power plant.
A United States Defense Standard, often called a military standard, "MIL-STD", or "MIL-SPEC", is used to help achieve standardization objectives by the U.S. Department of Defense.
Children have certain standardized tests at school. Children our tested to see if they are learning. So why not in our home. I found this on the internet it’s a standard this church has for it’s Sunday school teacher.
Our Call
Our call as Christians is to make disciples of all nations. This Great Commission applies to all people, but especially our children. Therefore in Christian Education, we present our children and adults the opportunity and invitation to embrace Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, follow him all their lives, grow in spiritual maturity, be equipped for service to Jesus Christ and His Church, and engage in this great adventure we call Christianity. and equip for service all who believe.
Young children knowledge of just how very much God loves them
Older children knowledge of the life and times of Jesus and how Jesus is an example for their lives
Teens the opportunity to apply Christian values to their emerging lives and personalities
Adults the opportunity to dig deeply into Scripture to broaden their understanding and deepen their faith.
Standards
18-month - Three Year Olds
By the time children have completed the three year old Sunday School program, they should have an understanding of the following:
God is love.
God created all things.
God is good.
God takes care of me.
God loves me.
Jesus is my friend.
I belong to God’s family.
I am part of the church.
The Bible is a special book.
We say thank you to God when we pray.
Four and Five Year Olds
By the time children have completed the Kindergarten Sunday School program, they should have an understanding of the following:
Elementary presentation of Old Testament stories of creation, the flood, the 10 commandments etc.
Elementary presentation of Jesus’ birth, life, resurrection.
The Bible has two parts--the Old and New Testament.
Sacraments are special times in the church.
We have two sacraments: baptism and communion.
Jesus was baptized.
Jesus celebrated the first communion.
The sacraments help us remember Jesus.
The name of the church.
The name of the pastor.
First and Second Grade
By the time children have completed the Second Grade Sunday School program, they should have an understanding of the following:
The Lord’s Prayer
The names of the four gospels
The names of the 12 disciples
The 10 Commandments
Elementary knowledge of basic Old Testament stories, like Adam and Eve, Noah, the Exodus, etc.
How to find scripture in the Bible and follow along.
How to use the hymnbook.
Bringing an offering is a way of thanking God and a way of serving.
Third and Fourth Grade
By the time children have completed the Fourth Grade Sunday School program, they should have an understanding of the following:
The Apostle’s Creed
Basic knowledge of Jesus birth, life and teachings
Old Testament characters like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Samuel, Saul, David, Moses, Solomon and Joseph.
The books of the Bible in order
How to find a passage in the Gospels and Psalms.
Elementary knowledge of tithing.
Fifth Grade
By the time children have completed the Fifth Grade Sunday School program, they should have an understanding of the following:
The location of the books in the Bible
Information about Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Samuel, Saul, David, Solomon, Isaiah and Jeremiah in the Old Testament.
Information about Jesus, John the Baptist and Paul in the New Testament.
Old Testament basics such as creation, the flood, the wandering of the patriarchs, slavery in Egypt, the 10 Commandments, settlement in Canaan, the rule of the judges, the time of the Kings, exile, return to Jerusalem.
New Testament basics such as the birth of Jesus, calling disciples, teaching, crucifixion, resurrection, Pentecost, the beginning of the Christian church.
That God wants us to talk to him in prayer.
Sixth, Seventh, and Eight Grades
By the time children have completed the Junior-High / Middle-School Sunday School program, they should have an understanding of the following:
The story of Acts.
What is means to claim Jesus as Lord and Savior.
The story of Jesus life.
Opportunities for local mission and service.
Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth Grades
By the time children have completed the Senior-High Sunday School program, they should have an understanding of the following:
Exploration of major theological themes:
Who is God?
Good vs. evil,
Sin
Forgiveness,
Temptation,
Suffering,
Repentance,
Faith,
Salvation,
Grace,
Providence of God
Exploration of major life themes:
Decision making
Values
Friendships
An understanding of the importance of personal prayer and a devotional time
Opportunities for local service and mission
They have given themselves something in which to measure their success.
Standards are classified into two different categories:
Mandatory standard: when the adoption of the standard is enforced through social sanctions, government regulation, contract, etc.
Voluntary standard: users have a free choice, for use or not the standard.
God’s standards are voluntary. You chose.
I want to read 3 passages of scripture and then I’m going to give you my top ten list on Living God’s Standards.
I Peter 5:1-4
And now, a word to you who are elders in the churches. I, too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ. And I, too, will share his glory and his honor when he returns. As a fellow elder, this is my appeal to you: 2 Care for the flock of God entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly-not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. 3 Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your good example. 4 And when the head Shepherd comes, your reward will be a never-ending share in his glory and honor
I Timothy 3:1-15
It is a true saying that if someone wants to be an elder,[fn1] he desires an honorable responsibility. 1Ti 3:2 For an elder must be a man whose life cannot be spoken against. He must be faithful to his wife.[fn2] He must exhibit self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home and must be able to teach. 1Ti 3:3 He must not be a heavy drinker or be violent. He must be gentle, peace loving, and not one who loves money. 1Ti 3:4 He must manage his own family well, with children who respect and obey him. 1Ti 3:5 For if a man cannot manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church? 1Ti 3:6 An elder must not be a new Christian, because he might be proud of being chosen so soon, and the Devil will use that pride to make him fall.[fn3] 1Ti 3:7 Also, people outside the church must speak well of him so that he will not fall into the Devil’s trap and be disgraced. 1Ti 3:8 In the same way, deacons must be people who are respected and have integrity. They must not be heavy drinkers and must not be greedy for money. 1Ti 3:9 They must be committed to the revealed truths of the Christian faith and must live with a clear conscience. 1Ti 3:10 Before they are appointed as deacons, they should be given other responsibilities in the church as a test of their character and ability. If they do well, then they may serve as deacons. 1Ti 3:11 In the same way, their wives[fn4] must be respected and must not speak evil of others. They must exercise self-control and be faithful in everything they do. 1Ti 3:12 A deacon must be faithful to his wife, and he must manage his children and household well. 1Ti 3:13 Those who do well as deacons will be rewarded with respect from others and will have increased confidence in their faith in Christ Jesus. 1Ti 3:14 I am writing these things to you now, even though I hope to be with you soon, 1Ti 3:15 so that if I can’t come for a while, you will know how people must conduct themselves in the household of God. This is the church of the living God, which is the pillar and support of the truth.
Titus 1:5-9
I left you on the island of Crete so you could complete our work there and appoint elders in each town as I instructed you. 6 An elder must be well thought of for his good life. He must be faithful to his wife, [fn1] and his children must be believers who are not wild or rebellious. 7 An elder [fn2] must live a blameless life because he is God’s minister. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered; he must not be a heavy drinker, violent, or greedy for money. 8 He must enjoy having guests in his home and must love all that is good. He must live wisely and be fair. He must live a devout and disciplined life. 9 He must have a strong and steadfast belief in the trustworthy message he was taught; then he will be able to encourage others with right teaching and show those who oppose it where they are wrong.
We to must set before ourselves a standard so that we aren’t out living like lone rangers and loose cannons.
1. Worship only God
One day, a religious leader asked Jesus which of the commandments was most important:
"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: ’Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ (NIV, Mark 12:28-30)
The Hebrews of Old Testament times tended to lapse into worship of pagan deities and statues of animals or other objects, but anything that takes the place of our devotion to God becomes an idol or false god, and that is forbidden by the first of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-6). Jesus particularly singled out love of wealth as a false god (Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13), and other Bible passages mention greed, covetousness, arrogance, gluttony and pride as being equivalent to idolatry.
In today’s world, many things compete against God for our devotion. These are some of the things that can become modern-day idolatry if we let them become too important to us:
Excessive attention to material things such as houses, cars, clothes, jewelry, physical appearance, entertainment, etc.
Pursuit of wealth, power, fame, pleasure or status
Excessive devotion to self, job, hobbies, country, ideologies, heroes, leaders, even family
Bible references: 1 Samuel 15:23, Matthew 6:31-34, 22:34-40, Mark 12:28-31, Luke 10:25-28, Acts 14:11-15, 1 Corinthians 10:14, Galatians 5:19-21, Ephesians 5:5, Colossians 3:5, Philippians 3:18-19, 1 Timothy 6:6-11, 6:17-20, 2 Timothy 3:1-5, Hebrews 13:5, 1 Peter 4:1-6
2. Respect all people
’Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ." (NIV, Mark 12:31)
The English word "love" has many different meanings, but the Greek word, agape, used in the New Testament, is commonly known as "Christian love." It means respect, affection, benevolence, good-will and concern for the welfare of the one loved.
In His Parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus made the point that we should extend our Christian love to all people of the world, regardless of race, religion, nationality or any other artificial distinction. We must practice that Christian love even toward our enemies! (Matthew 5:43-48)
Jesus’ Golden Rule is, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." We should not say or do anything unless we can answer "Yes" to the question, "Would I want that said or done to me?" Neither should we fail to do the good things we would expect of others.
Bible references: Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 7:12, 22:34-40, Mark 12:28-31, Luke 6:31, 10:25-28, John 13:34-35, Romans 13:8-10, 15:1-2, James 2:8
3. Be humble
Humility or being humble is a quality of being courteously respectful of others. It is the opposite of aggressiveness, arrogance, boastfulness, and vanity. Acting with humility does not in any way deny our own self worth. Rather, it affirms the inherent worth of all of God’s people. Humility is exactly what is needed to live in peace and harmony with our family of God. It dissipates anger and heals old wounds. It allows us to see the dignity and worth of all God’s people. Humility distinguishes the wise leader from the arrogant power-seeker
II Timothy 2:22-25 Run from anything that stimulates youthful lust. Follow anything that makes you want to do right. Pursue faith and love and peace, and enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.
23 Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. 24 The Lord’s servants must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone. They must be able to teach effectively and be patient with difficult people. 25 They should gently teach those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will believe the truth. 26 Then they will come to their senses and escape from the Devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.
(Proverbs 17:7, Matthew 20:20-28).
Bible references: Matthew 5:5-9, 20:25-28, Mark 9:35, 1 Corinthians 10:24, Ephesians 4:1-6, Philippians 2:2-8, 2 Timothy 2:22-25,
4. Be honest
Honesty and integrity are held as very important values throughout the Bible, and any deception to gain an advantage or harm another is prohibited by the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:16) and other Bible passages. Deception may be by false statements, half-truths, innuendo, or failing to tell the whole truth. It is all too common in advertising, business dealings, politics and everyday life.
Galatians 6:7-8Don’t be misled. Remember that you can’t ignore God and get away with it. You will always reap what you sow! 8 Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful desires will harvest the consequences of decay and death. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.
We must strongly resist the temptation to engage in any form of theft, cheating, deception, innuendo, slander or gossip.
Rationalization is a form of self-deception by which we convince ourselves that sinful actions are justified in order to achieve a good result, but this is really just another form of dishonesty (Galatians 6:7-8, James 1:26, 1 John 1:8). Holiness is in living by the commandments, not in achieving an end result (Matthew 4:8-10, 16:26). In Biblical teaching, the ends do not justify the means!
Bible references: Exodus 20:15, Leviticus 19:35-36, Deuteronomy 16:19-20, 25:13-16, Psalms 15:1-5, 24:3-5, Proverbs 10:9, 11:1, 11:3, 12:22, 16:28, 19:1, 20:10, 24:28, 28:6, 28:20, Isaiah 33:15-16, Zechariah 7:9, Mark 10:19, Luke 3:12-14, 16:10-12, 2 Corinthians 4:1-2, 2 Corinthians 7:2, 2 Corinthians 8:21, Ephesians 4:25, Philippians 4:8-9, Colossians 3:9, Hebrews 13:18, 1 Peter 2:12, 3:10
5. Live a moral life
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. (NIV, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
Jesus gave a list of actions that constitute immoral uses of the body: evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, arrogance and foolishness. The apostle Paul gave similar lists.
We often think of morality in terms of sexual sins, but according to Jesus, sins such as slander, greed, deceit, and arrogance are equally immoral.
Bible references: Exodus 20:1-17, Matthew 5:27-28, 15:18-19, Mark 7:20-22, 10:11-12, Romans 13:11-14, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Galatians 5:16-26, Ephesians 5:1-7, Colossians 3:5-10, 1 Thessalonians 4:3-9,
6. Be generous with time and money
Romans 12:6-8 God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out when you have faith that God is speaking through you. 7 If your gift is that of serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, do a good job of teaching. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, do it! If you have money, share it generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.
9 Don’t just pretend that you love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, [fn2] and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically
Each of us has something to offer to someone in need. We can give our money and our time to charity, be a friend to someone who is sick or lonely, do volunteer work. We may give unselfishly of our time to our spouse, children or parents. Charity begins at home.
Bible references: Leviticus 19:9-10, 25:35-38, Deuteronomy 15:7-11, Proverbs 14:21, 28:27, Isaiah 58:10-11, Matthew 5:42, 6:1-2, 25:31-46, Luke 6:38, 12:33, 21:1-4, Acts 20:35, Romans 12:6-8, 2 Corinthians 9:5-7, Hebrews 13:1-3, 13:15-16, 1 Timothy 6:17-19, 1 John 3:17,
7. Practice what you preach; don’t be a hypocrite
If there was any one group of people that Jesus couldn’t stand, it was hypocrites! The Pharisees of Jesus’ time were a religious and political party that insisted on very strict observance of Biblical laws on tithing, ritual purity and other matters. At the same time, many of the Pharisees forgot the true spirit and intent of the law and became self-indulgent, self-righteous, snobbish, and greedy. That led Jesus to remarks such as,
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. (NIV, Matthew 23:27-28)
It is not the things we say that really matter; it is the things that we do (Matthew 7:15-20). If we claim to be Christians but do not let Jesus’ teachings guide our lives, we are nothing but hypocrites.
Bible references: Psalms 50:16-17, Isaiah 29:13-15, Jeremiah 7:1-11, Micah 3:11-12, Matthew 6:1-7, 7:1-5, 7:21-23, 15:7-9, 23:1-33, Luke 20:46-47, Romans 2:21-24, James 1:22-27, 2:14-24, 1 John 1:5-7, 2:3-6, 2:9, 4:19-21
8. Don’t be self-righteous
No one is perfect; we are all sinners in one way or another (Romans 3:23). Living a moral life means taking responsibility for controlling our own behavior. If we say or even think we are better than people we consider to be "sinners," we are guilty of the sin of self-righteousness. It is not our right to look down on, criticize, judge, condemn, or try to control other people. Judgment is to be left to God. Jesus said,
Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, ’Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye. (NRSV, Matthew 7:1-5)
This does not deny the right of governments to maintain law and order and collect taxes. Jesus and other New Testament leaders supported the authority of civil governments (Matthew 22:15-22, Romans 13:1-7).
Bible references: Proverbs 26:12, Isaiah 5:21, Matthew 7:1-5, 9:10-13, 18:10, Luke 6:32-42, 7:36-50, 18:9-14, John 8:1-8, Romans 2:1-4, 3:23, 14:1, 14:10-12, 1 Corinthians 4:5, 13:1-7, 16:14, Galatians 6:1-3, James 2:12-13, 4:11-12, 1 John 1:8
9. Don’t hold a grudge
You have heard that it was said, ’Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. (NIV, Matthew 5:38-40)
You have heard that it was said, ’Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (NIV, Matthew 5:43-45)
Bearing a grudge and seeking revenge are never appropriate responses to a perceived wrong. A grudge destroys the grudge-holder with bitterness, and revenge only escalates hostilities. Jesus told us we must reconcile with our adversaries, forgive their transgressions, and let go of the anger that may tempt us to commit an act of revenge.
Bible references: Leviticus 19:18, Psalms 37:8-9, Proverbs 10:12, 12:16, 15:1, 15:7, 19:11, 20:22, 24:29, Matthew 5:21-26, 5:43-48, Romans 12:17-21, 1 Corinthians 6:7-8, Ephesians 4:26, 4:31-32, Colossians 3:7-8, James 1:19-20, 1 Thessalonians 5:15, 1 Peter 3:9, 1 John 2:9-11, 4:19-21
10. Forgive others
If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. (NLT, Matthew 6:14-15)
God is merciful and forgives our sins and failings. In the same way, we must be merciful and forgive other people who sin against us or do us harm.
Bible references: Matthew 5:7, 18:21-35, Mark 11:25, Luke 17:3-4, Colossians 3:12-14, Ephesians 4:32
Tell how Hazilee called me. She asked me to study I Peter 5:1-4 I believe God is calling his people back to him. After Moses lead the people out of captivity God gave the people some standards to live by. Not because he wants to be mean, but because he wants to bless us. God isn’t asking you to live by His standards because he wants life to be hard on you, but because by His son Jesus he has lead us out of captivity and now he wants us to live by a standard that will keep us from being enslaved again and again.
Tell about Tyler’s teaching, writing down his standards, share with his girlfriend, and then surround himself with a support group of friends who are carrying the same standards. You see Tyler is beginning to understand that God doesn’t want him to wait till he’s married because He wants Tyler to be denied pleasure, but because he wants to spare him heartache.
Write down your standards and then tell your spouse or someone whom you know will hold you accountable. Surround yourself with people who will support you in the standard you have set, not people who cause you to be tempted. Live by these standards, not because you have to. God’s standard is a voluntary standard. Live by these standards because you understand that God loves you so much He would never deny you blessings, but he wants to save you from the heartache of slavery.
