STANDARDS

WHAT'S WORTH TAKING A STAND ON

"For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise" (2 Corinthians 10:12, KJV).

As a young mom and a staff member of Campus Crusade, I heard a speaker say, "We must learn the difference between Christian standards and standards of Christians!" Christian standards can be found in the Bible, but standards of Christians can vary from family to family, church to church or even state to state. I reviewed that quote many times as other Christians tried to impose their thinking on me. I had to ask myself, "what does the Bible say about that issue?" I learned there are Biblical standards, church standards, people standards, and personal standards.

Christian standards are found in the Bible. They don't change from generation to generation. They are the principles God has given us on salvation, the Spirit-filled life, the sanctity of marriage, proper sexual conduct, and many other topics. In this day when adultery is rampant, abortion is commonplace, and some churches even have homosexual pastors, Christians need to be well-versed in Bible doctrine. Scripture takes a very definite stand on these issues and we need to be willing to take a stand as well.

It was a strong desire of mine to know how to do ballroom dancing, so for my 50th birthday, Glen enrolled us in a dance class. When I received the gift, my first comment was "Who's going to tell my dad?" Glen volunteered for the daunting task. That evening he told my dad, "Marilyn and I are doing something new and different. We enrolled in a ballroom dance class." My father rose from the couch and said, "Well, I guess it's time to go home!" He walked out the door and didn't talk with me for nearly two weeks! I can share that story because my dad and I have always been good friends, he apologized for his behavior, and we talked through our issues, and besides that, my dad has been gone for almost 16 years! My dad was caught in the church and people standards, the standards of Christians, and he had passed that legacy on to me. When you find yourself behaving in a certain way, ask yourself "Is this a Christian standard or a standard of Christians?"

This devotional is an excerpt from Marilyn Heavilin's new book, Profound Common Sense. The book will be available for purchase this summer.

Marilyn Heavilin, author of Roses In December,December's Song, Becoming A Woman of Honor,When Your Dreams Die,Grief Is A Family Affair, I'm Listening, Lordhttp://www.marilynheavilin.com/

Live so that others may safely follow. Marilyn is a wife and mother, author, and international conference and retreat speaker. She and her husband Glen serve as Counselors-in-Residence at America's KESWICK during the summer months.

May is fast approaching and we will be hosting our 4th Annual Family Freedom Walk on Saturday, May 12th. YOU can help in two ways.

ONE. WALK - call guest services (732.350.1187) to obtain a walk package, solicit sponsors and come to the walk.

TWO. Sponsor Victory Call for the walk. We are having a friendly competition between the 2 groups of devotional readers (Freedom Fighters and Victory Call). Go to Family Freedom Walk Support . Be sure to designate your gift to FFW: VC

Our goal is to raise more funds by the Victory Call team than the men raise for the Freedom Fighter's team. Last year Victory Call subscribers raised $5,350.00 and Freedom Fighter’s subscribers raised $100.00. Victory Call WON, by ALOT! In reality, the Addiction Recovery ministries won because together we raised $43,136.00!!

Come join in the fun. Please?