Perfectly Calibrated and Measured
I am not very good at building things. I just don’t have that DNA. But, when I do build stuff, I need to live by the axiom, measure twice and cut once. Too many times have I measured and cut, only to find out that I measured incorrectly. “Close enough” doesn’t usually work too well. I also know the importance of making sure the measuring devices I use are properly calibrated.
When we had our house built a few years ago, imagine what would have happened if the builder didn’t go by the blueprints. What if they just went from memory? The bedroom might have ended up where the kitchen was supposed to be. The improper placement of a load-bearing wall would have jeopardized the structural integrity of the house by not properly distributing the weight down to the foundation. And when cutting a hole for an 8X8 sliding glass door, what if they didn’t actually use a tape measure, but instead just eyeballed the proper length, saying, “That’s close enough.” It would have been very difficult to properly install an 8-foot door in an opening that was six inches too narrow.
Failing to read the blueprints or guessing at board lengths would have had disastrous results. Not only is it important to use the correct blueprints and measuring devices, it is also important to make sure that the equipment used is in good working order. What if the tape measure was missing the first two inches? Or what if the saw blade was dull or the laser level was not properly calibrated. Well, once again, you can imagine the results.
We too are often judged (measured) by others, and often times also judge ourselves, using many measuring sticks, but most, if not all, of those measuring devices have improper calibration. Other people are simply not good tools by which to measure our own attitudes and behaviors. On the other hand, if we allow ourselves to be measured by Scripture, we’ll find we come up short. Romans 3:23 tells us – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
But, in striving to reach that perfect biblical calibration, we will soon find ourselves becoming more like Jesus. Here is what we read in 2 Corinthians 3:18 – “But we Christians have no veil over our faces; we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him” (TLB).
Hebrews 4:12-13 tells us that the Bible is what we are to use to measure, calibrate, and judge our thoughts and attitudes. We read, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all of creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”
Are you allowing the Word of God to judge the intents and thoughts of your heart? It is my prayer that you and I, through the power of the Holy Spirit, allow the “perfectly measured” and “perfectly calibrated” Word of God to be the blueprint and measuring stick from which we build our own lives.
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