Important Standards in My Life
What
are some standards that are most important in your life?
The standards that I consider most important to me are
biblical standards which I consider a must for living my life in a manner that
is pleasing and acceptable to God. While many Christians might tell you that
the Ten Commandments are the most important, I think that if you follow the
standards that I have identified below you will find that you have lived up to
the standards of the Ten Commandments: "love the Lord your God with all
your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and
great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as
yourself" (LifeChurch.tv, 2008, p. Matthew 22:37) "Husbands, love
your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for
her," (LifeChurch.tv, 2008, p. Ephesians 5:25) "honor your
father and mother," (LifeChurch.tv, 2008, p. Ephesians 6:2) , and "fathers,
do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training of the
Lord." (LifeChurch.tv, 2008, p. Ephesians 6:4) While I believe these standards of living are
important I would be lying if I told you that I didn't struggle with them. One
in particular that I struggle with on a daily basis is the "love your
neighbor as yourself"
In other words these standards are goals that i strive
to achieve, but the struggle is real and the standard is difficult for me. The
first standard, love the Lord, means following His commandments, loving your
neighbor means putting others needs ahead of my own, loving my wife means
putting her wellbeing above that of my own, while honoring my parents means
respecting them and regard their guidance, which seems to have become easier
over the years, and the final standard I have listed, fathers do not provoke
your children, challenges me to raise my kids in the way I believe they some go
but also reminds me not to be overly harsh on them.
For example love is the center of most of my
standards, and while it is easy to say you love someone, true love is giving of
yourself and putting the needs and desires of your loved ones ahead of your own. Because true love is not jealous, it is not
haughty, nor is it selfish, it does for others best it wants to, not because of
what it will get in return.
It is like that little puppy who love his master, he
will love you and follow you around just to be near you, he is not concerned
with what you are going to do for him he just wants to be near you. We often call it puppy love but this is the
purest form of love no expectations just a desire to please, he doesn't care
what you are wearing, he doesn't even care if you brush your teeth he just
wants to be with you.
How
did you acquire those standards?
While I was obviously not born with these standards
these are standards my father and mother trained me in as a young laid. I can remember my father honoring his parents
even as an adult and how he loved and treated others around him, he taught me the
value of treating others with love and respect. He also set the example of how to love and respect
my future spouse and while my father died many years before I was grown and married
I can still remember that example as if it were yesterday.
How have they changed over the years?
One proverb that was used in my house growing up was do
unto others as you would have them do unto you, and while I thought for years this
was the ultimate way to treat people my commander a few years ago taught me a new
level of this rule, that is treat others as they would like to be treated. So yes a few of my standards have changed and matured
over the years but the basic concept is still the same, love others.
References
LifeChurch.tv.
(2008). You Version Bible.
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