Who Is Your Measuring Stick?

Who do you use as an example of how to build your life? Who do you use as an example of who you who you want to be? 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:14

Hello. My name is Martin Marquez. And this is Dive into Scripture. A weekly devotional teaching life lessons through the eyes of a disabled veteran with the Word of God. This week's devotional will be titled Who is Your Measuring Stick? Let us pray before we start. Lord Jesus, I come to you humbly and pray that you open our hearts, minds, and souls, that we may listen and learn. I pray that we take to heart what is said here today, and not just the listeners, but also that I take to heart these words. I pray, Lord, that we ponder on the title and realize that the question is important for our lives. As you said in Matthew sixteen fifteen, he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? I hope that we can take that and make sure that we know for sure who you are and who our measuring stick is. Regardless if someone is male or female, young or old, we must be able to answer those questions. Tomorrow is not guaranteed, and when it's too late, it's too late. In your name Jesus, I pray, amen. Philippians two five says Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. Deuteronomy six says, And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul and with all thy might. But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation, because it is written, Be ye holy for I am holy, and if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourn here in fear. Matthew five forty eight says, Be ye therefore perfect even as your father which is in heaven is perfect. What is a measuring stick? Well the measure according to the Oxford American Dictionary, measure means determine the size, amount, or degree of something by comparing it with a standard unit. Measure up is to reach the required standard, and vocabulary dot com says a measuring stick is a measuring instrument having a sequence of marks at regular intervals used as a reference in making measurements. People even use a measuring sticks up against a wall or the wall itself to measure children as they grow up. They measure their height. We are to use Jesus in the same way to measure. Not our height, but our growth, our spiritual growth or maturity in Him. As a Christian, Jesus Christ is to be your measuring stick. Not other Christians, not your father or mother, not the pastor or good friend, only Jesus. That doesn't mean we can't look up to and be like those that are doing well. We all have our role models and mentors to help us in life. However, in our spiritual life, our walk with Christ, Jesus alone is to be our guide, our example, our measuring stick. The entire Bible, Old and New Testament speaks about him. He gives example after example of how we are to live our lives. He was the only person on earth to be sinless, as he was one hundred percent man, but also one hundred percent God. His name was Emmanuel, our God with us. He was God incarnate, he is our Christ, the one that came from heaven to be born human, to take on the sins of the world, to break that veil, and give forgiveness for all sins, past, present and future. Jesus is our example. In Matthew chapters five through seven, on a mount or mountain on the side of Galilee, Jesus preached the famous sermon on the mount to his disciples, with the multitudes surrounding, listening, and gathering his great teachings. He taught often and with great authority. Matthew seven hundred twenty nine says, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. Luke two forty six forty nine says, And it came to pass that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them and asking them questions, and all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers, and when they saw him they were amazed. And his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou dealt with us? Behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them, How is it that ye had sought me? Wist ye not that I must be about my father's business? Jesus always taught the will of God as he is God in the Trinity. He is God the Son. As I read in Luke chapter two, Jesus even started showing his divinity at the young age of twelve. His ministry, however, started at the age of thirty. John chapter two verses four through eleven says Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come. His mother saith unto the servants, whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. And there were set there six water pots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. Jesus saith unto them, Fill the water pots with water, and they filled them up to the brim. And he saith unto them, draw out now and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bear it. When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was, but the servants which drew the water knew, the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, and saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine, and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse, but thou hast kept the good wine until now. This beginning the miracles Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory and his disciples believed in him. His first miracle of turning water into wine didn't stop. He healed the sick, made the blind see, raised the dead, opened the ears of the deaf, rebuked demons, and more. It isn't just the miracles that show who Jesus is, but his teachings, his kindness. Sure, his greatest miracle alone should warrant our belief in obedience. No one but God can raise himself from the dead after three days to overcome sin and be the propriation of sin, officially forgiving our sin. Of course we have to believe and accept it for it to be ours. Anyway, Luke nine twenty three says, and he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. Matthew seven two says, For with what judgment ye judge ye shall be judged, and with what measure ye meet, it shall be measured to you again. This verse shows that there is a measure we are to live by. So what do you measure your life with? Your walk, your morals and values, your ethics and character. In order to use Jesus Christ as your measuring stick, then you must know him, not just his teachings in the Bible, but know him as your personal Lord and Savior. Many people know of Jesus, but that doesn't mean you know him. Knowing of someone doesn't mean you can use them as your measuring stick. You don't even fully know if someone is real unless you know them personally. I talk about my uncle and grandma a lot to my therapist, but she's never met them. So for all she knows I could be lying. Not just that, but knowing the Bible in your mind doesn't mean it's in your heart. The devil knows the Bible in his mind and even knew Jesus personally, but he didn't believe in and follow him. In Matthew four one through eleven, the devil tempts Jesus with twisted scripture, but Jesus properly uses scripture to ward him off. In order to learn scripture and know it in the proper way to live a godly life with Jesus as your example, you must be one with Christ. You must be saved. Once saved you receive the Holy Spirit who guides you, the Holy Spirit being the third of the Godhead, the third to the Holy Trinity. Speaking of mind, we are to know the Bible in our heart. Psalms one hundred nineteen eleven says Thy word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against thee. Romans three hundred twenty three, six twenty three, five eight, ten nine through ten, and ten thirteen are called the Romans Road, they guide you to salvation. Corinthians two hundred fourteen says, But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. We cannot understand the Bible how God intends for us to understand the Bible without the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. John fourteen sixteen says, And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another comforter that he may abide with you forever. That speaks of the Holy Spirit, who will guide you, who will comfort you, who will convict you and show you the way. No, no one wants conviction, but we need it to see where we are going wrong. As you read your Bible or hear preaching, things will convict you. The closer you grow to Christ and the more you follow and obey, the more life alone will convict you. It's not that God wants you to feel bad about things being done. It's the fact that He wants what's best for us, and sin is not what's best for us. Jeremiah twenty nine eleven says, For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you an expected end. The more we become like Christ, the less conviction we'll get, as we will sin less and less. We will never be rid of sin as only Jesus was perfect and sinless. What we can do is immediately upon conviction of a sin we have in our life, ask God for forgiveness, and he is faithful to forgive. Just being God was an example on earth, but God in general, whether God the Father or Jehovah, God the Son or Jesus, or even God the Holy Spirit, can be a good example. The Father is mentioned plenty in the Old Testament, and though the Holy Spirit doesn't give much example in the Bible, his example is in our lives. If he is to be our comforter, we are to comfort others. If he is to be our guide, we are to guide others. If he is to convict us of our sins, we are to lovingly convict others of theirs. God is the perfect example of who we should be. Not that we are gods, but that we live like He wants us to live. Galatians two twenty says I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live. Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I know live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Romans twelve two says And not be conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Matthew eleven twenty nine says Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. In conclusion, Jesus is the perfect measuring stick. People are far from perfect and mess up. We are not a good measuring stick if we want to be a God fearing, Christ following, Bible believing child of God. We must read the Word of God, listen to preaching from the Word of God, pray to our God, follow and obey our God if we are to be whom our God says we should be. I can't be a good basketball player if I don't know the game, listen to the coach, and obey the coach. For those of you that don't know, I don't play. It's just an example. I do, however, want to be a good Christian. There are so many things the Bible says about who we are to be. I'd be writing an entire book if I went on and on over everything. I just pray you take these words to heart and apply them to your lives, that you trust and obey, that you love Christ and follow him. Think on it and remember this question Who is your measuring stick? Remember I am Martin Marquez, and this is Dive into Scripture. The Romans road can guide you in helping someone choose salvation. Romans three twenty three for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Romans six twenty three for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans five eight but God commendeth his love toward us, that in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans ten nine and ten that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans ten thirteen, for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Amen.