Measuring Stick

 

I’ve worked with electronic medical records most of my career. They give you the option of what unit of measure to use when entering vital signs. That leads to some interesting results if you pick the wrong measure. I’ve seen babies with a recorded birth weight of 18 pounds (if you enter kg instead of lb) and adults who were 19 feet tall (if you enter meters instead of feet).  Obviously, you need to use the proper unit of measurement if you want an accurate assessment.

 

God has His own measuring stick for evaluating our lives. He measures us by our faithfulness to His will and calling to us. He called Jeremiah to preach a message of repentance to the Israelites, telling them of the consequences if they failed to repent. In the eyes of the world, Jeremiah’s ministry was a total failure. The people didn’t listen to him and the nation was conquered and the people sent off into slavery.  In God’s eyes, though, Jeremiah was a success because he remained faithful to God’s call to him all the days of his life.  

 

In looking at your life, don’t get caught up in the world’s view of success.  Instead, try to be the person God calls you to be in the place where He wants you to be. Aspire to faithfulness so that one day you may hear God say to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Mt 25:23).