Monday 15 June 2015

Falling Short (Lessons from Life)

A recent children’s talk by our pastor reminded me of my days as a student at the old Abersychan Mining and Technical Institute. The class had assembled and waited the arrival of our tutor, all restless and fidgety. After some delay the deputy head arrived to announce that as our tutor was sick, he would be taking the lesson. I do not remember what lesson we were to have had, but I did learn a lesson I never forgot.
Having taken up our exercise books, pencils and ruler we were instructed to draw a line two inches long!! With that the deputy head left the room. Whatever was he thinking of? After all technical drawing was on the curriculum, so we knew how to draw a straight line, didn’t we?
The task was swiftly accomplished, pencils put down, chaos reigned. Then, just before the lesson was due to close, the deputy head reappeared, silence fell as he said “Now measure the line you have drawn.” There was utter disbelief, “But sir,” spluttered one bright spark, “its two inches long, like you said,” “I know what I asked you to do” replied the deputy, “ now measure it again, but this time instead of laying the ruler flat on the paper, as you did to draw the line, turn the ruler onto its edge, and then measure the line.” “Now how long is the line you have drawn?” One measured one inch and fifteen sixteenths, another two and one sixteenths of an inch, another two and one eighth inches. Of twenty two students only two or three came anywhere near being correct. When the ruler had been carefully laid against the line drawn our careless and casual errors were revealed.
So also in our lives. Lives lived according to our ideas and thoughts always fall short of the ruler of God’s law. Romans 3:23 reminds us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. The Psalmist also reminds us there is none righteous no not one (Psalm 14:1-3).
However ROM 3:24 says we can know redemption and justification through faith in Jesus Christ. God setting a new standard in our lives. A new measure of true perfection, that is the fullness of Christ Himself ( Ephesians 4:11-13). This state is not arrived at overnight, but by the Spirit of the Lord we are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Which measure or rule governs your life?

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