A Servant not Greater

John 15:20  "Remember the word that I said unto you, A servant is not greater than his lord...."
     
      We have our pet charities.  People or causes that we feel are doing a good work and worth our support.  I do not feel comfortable sending money, or spending time on things when I am not knowledgeable about their workings.  We became friends with a missionary minded individual quite a few years ago and have through the years sent money to help in their work.
     The dilemma began a little over ten years ago as we had commited to sending a certain amount money monthly to this work.  We had not made a set in stone commitment, only to ourselves, and strove diligently to send that amount.  After a few months we found ourselves financially short enough that I only had enough to send part of the amount.  This pattern continued through the year,  raising our family on one salary left our budget with no wiggle room for changing the problem. 
     I was frustrated to say the least.  Here we were trying to help in a good work, and my thought was, why is the Lord not blessing us in order that we can help others  in this good work? This happened not once, but several times through the following years.  After the last time or two I began questioning, not God, but the work we were helping with.


    God sees things from a different perspective.  Some of the works which our friend is doing are good works, but some things I now have questions about.

    Our society is wrong in a number of ways.  At one time we had a structure where mostly families were a unit.  Especially in the early years of our country when farming was the major occupation of the country, families lived and worked together daily as a unit.  Bit by bit things began to unravel as more and more fathers went to work in factories, children were sent off to larger and larger public schools.  The death blow came when mothers as well left the home in order to honor the all-mighty dollar god.
     America is crumbling from within mainly because the homes that used to shelter families have become only, for the most part, houses that shelter possesions.  Families that at one time passed on moral values, Biblical truths, Godly precepts to the next generation are empty shells that contain none of those things.  And they ask why don't my children have a faith in God?  What has happened?
     I see our societal norms being encouraged in other countries even by missionaries that are doing some good works --in some areas--, but questions arise if it is right to encourage people in other countries to accept our societal norm.

     Titus 2:4  "that they may train the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5)  to be sober-minded, chaste, workers at home, kind, being in subjection to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed:"

     Lip service is only paid to this portion of scripture.  We all know women ought so love their husbands (if the husbands are worthy of course) and they ought to love their children at least for a few hours a day...and when it is convenient.  However, try teaching that women ought to be wives and mothers -only.  Wives and mothers, not a hyphenated version that starts with 'what do you do for a living?'
     We all know that 'a family can't live on only one paycheck anymore'.  Except that's not true.  The truth is with most families 'a family doesn't want to live on one paycheck anymore.'  They would perhaps have to struggle to make ends meet.  They would be forced to make unpopular choices, to do without some things they have grown accustomed to, or worse yet, something they like or want.

     "If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also."

     What is sad is...the persecution doesn't come from outside of the religious community.  The second sad thing is what the ignoring of God's command does to matrimony (husbands and wives), to families, the fabric of our homes, and foundation of our lives and country.

     Many Christians condemn abortion, and rightly so, but do mothers and fathers not see what the fruit of our child care system is?  What is accomplished by leaving our children in such a situation?
     What does this have to do with 'a servant not greater than his Lord?  The leaders of Jesus' day persecuted him because they didn't like--no, they hated what he taught, as well as what he stood for.
Women need to hear the truth.  What difference is it when we teach others about submitting to God's plan for salvation and they choose not to listen, and on the other hand when God speaks to us we fail (or choose) to ignore it?
     Our homes are falling apart, our marriages are failing, our children are being lost and the Word of God is being blasphemed.  We may not like the idea that 'women's lib has taken root in our lives', but it has influenced our way of thinking and acting. 
     I have seen ladies speakers who dearly wanted to tell an audience of women that it was unscriptural for them to leave their children and husbands as they flocked into the workplace.  The best these poor women could do was tell the women, 'no matter what you choose (to work outside, or stay at home), keeping your home and the care for it is YOUR responsibility, not your husband's'.
     The scriptural teaching is not popular, it will turn women away from the church--and that is true.
It will turn some--maybe even many-- away from the church, but when are we to be the judge?
      A few years ago someone said about a friend of theirs: "she would have become a christian, but she couldn't accept that a woman had to be in subjection to her husband...so she never obeyed...".  Wait, there seems to be a problem.  When do we start just teaching what is popular, and will people that embrace only part of the good news be wholly saved? 
     I don't believe that there is any one today who is perfect in their knowledge and keeping of the scriptures.  Most of us would acknowledge that we are always learning and growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and his church.  As we learn and grow we leave behind the things that aren't what God wants, and change into what the Lord does want us to be.  Growing and changing that is part of life.  It is part of the Christian life.

Philippians 4:8  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Sticks and Stones, and Broken Bones

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me...

So the saying went when I was growing up. We all know of course, that this is a childish phrase, and it is very far from the truth.  Sticks and stones can hurt our body, but words can hurt our soul.
 
There are many clever sayings that encourage us to put past hurts, past encounters, as well as past transgressors...in the past.

 Ecclessiastes 7:21 "Also take not heed unto all words that are spoken, lest thou hear thy servant curse thee; 22) for oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others."

You may not have 'cursed' others as we consider the word curse, but at times we all tend to have thoughts--yes, unkind thoughts about others--and those thoughts do sometimes find themselves expressed in words.  Consequently, take account that we need to give others room for complaint against ourselves.

 Philippians 3:13  "Brethren, I count not myself yet to have laid hold: but one thing I do, forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before..."

The Apostle Paul was a man with a past.  He had persecuted the church, condemned Christians to prison, and even unto death, but that all changed when he met Jesus on the road to Damascus...


Paul was a committed person.  He, from what we can read through the scriptures, didn't do anything half way.  It was all or nothing; either for or against.  When he found he was wrong, he did a complete turn.

There are several things we need to carry away from this.   Be careful what you say.  You cannot control what others say--kind or unkind.  However, we should strive always to control, or better yet let Jesus control what we say. Keep our own thoughts and words pleasant.



We should move on.  We need, for our own self, to move past the hurts, the poor encounters, and the transgressors of the past.  Whether our failures, or the failure of others, move on.  Other wise we allow these things to control our future, at least in part.

Philippians 3:14 "I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

Our ultimate goal is to be fit for the 'high calling' in Christ Jesus; the  high calling of heaven.  Heaven--a prepared place for a prepared people...



Philippians 3:10 " that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming conformed unto his death; 11) if by any means I may attain unto the resurrection from the dead."

Hallelujah!  What a Savior!

How Do You Do?

It feels like spring today.  I feel like I sprung today...
Ever have one of those days?  The older I get the more of them I seem to have, but...

Attitude--attitude of gratitude.  The old woman hobbled up to the Church house doors.  "Well, Sister Dorcas, I thought you weren't feeling so good," the preacher says.
"I'm not, but my heart came to Worship this evening, and my feet just had to follow."

Sunshine dapples my desk.  It is late afternoon and a Friday.  And not quite officially spring, but close enough I could almost begin spring cleaning...almost.  Smile

In some places the frost has gone out of the ground, and the standing water has disapeared.  Soon the cold winter will be a thing of the past.  We will begin our garden, and our crops in the field.  Cows will be birthing calves.  A new life to the new year.

The birds arrived this morning.  The air was filled with them screaming at the top of their little beaks as if they just had to tell some one!

It was a day to sit on the porch in the afternoon sunshine and watch.  Watch the world go by.  Something else that the older I get the more I could do...

Ever wonder why we are in such a hurrry?  Where do we think we are going?  Which brings me to heaven.

We sat across the table from the mother daughter pair.  We had come for a Bible study.  "Are you a Christian?  they read the first question.

A few moments of thought and explanation came next.  The mother (who was about our age, give or take a few years) told of her youth, and religious experience, and concluded that, yes, indeed, she was a Christian.  The daughter, who was in her late twenties, decided that she also was a Christian because she believed in Jesus.

Everyone believes they are going to heaven, but they seem to believe it is somewhere you just happen to find yourself in.  No preparation, no worry, just someday after an aimless life of wandering (in the wilderness of sin, usually) they will wake up and voila!  They are there.

1Corinthians 9:26 "I therefore so run, as not uncertainly; so fight I, as not beating the air: 27)  but I buffet my body, and bring it into bondage: lest by any means, after that I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected."

The Apostle Paul here says (and this is my paraphrase) he didn't run his race aimlessly, he didn't fight as just beating the air: but he brought himself into bondage in order that after all was said and done, after all of his work he would be acceptable.

Yet here we have folks thinking they will aimlessly wander through life doing what ever they please, and just wake up --in heaven.

Matthew 22:11 "But when the king came in to behold the guests, he saw there a man who had not on a wedding-garment: 12)  and he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding-garment? And he was speechless."

There are a number of places that emphasize the fact that heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people. The commentary from Barnes says this about this scripture:
        "A man which had not on a wedding garment - In ancient times, kings and princes were accustomed to make presents of changes of raiment to their friends and favourites, to refuse to receive which was an expression of highest contempt, (Genesis 45:22; 2Kings 10:22; Esther 6:8; Esther 8:15). It was, of course, expected that such garments would be worn when they came into the presence of the benefactor. The garments worn on festival occasions were chiefly long white robes, and it was the custom of the person who made the feast to prepare such robes to be worn by the guests. This renders the conduct of this man more inexcusable. He came in his common and ordinary dress, as he was taken from the highway: and though he had not a garment of his own suitable for the occasion, yet one had been provided for him, if he had applied for it. His not doing it was expressive of the highest disrespect for the king."

So we see from this that the guest had chosen not to wear a garment that was provided, and we can understand why he was speechless.

We won't show up in heaven if we haven't prepared; heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people.  Today is a new day.  A day to prepare for that day when you want --to wake up in heaven.

Garden time --Again-- :)

Here we are looking at the end of February.  Today is gray and cold.  The weather forecaster is calling for SNOW.  Supposed to be lots of snow, but they sometimes often miss their mark.  This means we could have a deluge of snow, or we could have just a light dusting.

So, as we contemplate the weather, just when should we start thinking of gardens?  Most gardeners don't really ever stop thinking of gardens.  We are constantly analyzing what we have, what we WILL have, or what we should have...

I keep a journal, and although it is never quite a complete as I would like to have kept it, it is very helpful in my next year's garden.  As I stated earlier in my garden posts, I have a list of the type of vegetables, herbs, and even a few fruits that I like to grow.  When purusing a garden catalog, remember, they are supposed to look perfect in the pictures!  Most garden catalogs begin at the beginning of the alphabet in their listings.  It has nothing to do with anything, except alphabet...smile.

"Asparagus" for example is the one of the first in the listings.  Asparagus is a perennial, and you plant roots.  I say that, but yes, you can grow them from seeds, it just takes much, much longer.  However, if you are not in a hurry either way works.  Eventually the plants end up in 'beds', hopefully with a walkway in between rows.  The male plants make large uniform spears. Note--I have covered asparagus somewhat in another post...

Beans are listed next, and there are many varieties of beans.  There are green beans and dried beans, yellow wax beans, bush beans, and pole beans.  The green beans are used fresh, or canned in jars for winter consumption.  Dried beans are soup beans.  Yellow wax beans are similar to green beans, and the term 'bush', or 'pole' is just the growing habit of the plant.  A bush bean plant will only grow to about 36" tall, whereas a pole bean needs a fence or a support to grow up.  Some pole bean plants grow close to ten foot high.  You should make a trellis for them.  

Our favorite bush bean is 'Provider' it really is a good decent bean.  We will usually get two good pickings from my double row.  A 100 foot row usually gave us enough green beans for some fresh eating, and approximately 50 quarts of canned beans.  Also note, I figured I wanted at least 50 quarts.  There are 52 weeks in a year and that gave us enough for approximately two quarts a week winter use.  We had a large family and/or enough guests that it often took two quarts per meal.

Note here: when I plant beans I use a 'marker'.  --I believe in one of the other posts (I will check it out later.) I may have had a picture of my 'marker'.--  It is two electric fence posts with a length of --in our case--baler twine so many feet long tying them together.  We usually try for 100 foot rows, so our twine is in something that will give us that measure.  So, I push one of the fence posts into the ground, stretch the twine out tight and push the other post into the ground.  I want the twine/string tight so it doesn't have room for play, or it will 'sag' out in the middle.  I use this to steady my hoe as I run the hoe along the twine making a trench approximately three inches deep.  I then move one end of the marker careful not to disturb the trench.  When planting beans --for example-- I kinda sow them in the trench so many inches between each seed (approximately 2" between seeds I believe the directions say).  Then beside that row I just made I measure one of my shoe lengths, push a post in where the toe of my shoe comes (that's going to be between 8 and 9 inches), take the other post down to the other end of the last row, measure one of my feet measures and push the post in.  I make another row and sow the seeds in it same as the first row.  *When the snow does disappear, I will have my photographer du jour take pictures of this process in order to make it more clear. 

That is my 'double row'.  It is a little more hand tilling when they first come up, but they canopy and keep most of the weeds out from between the rows.   I do many of my vegetables this way.

I enjoy 'playing' with my beans.  I have a mix of bush, and pole beans.  The pole beans usually have more 'character' because they are older varieties.  Some of my favorite pole beans are: Scarlet Runner, Purple Podded Pole, Painted Lady, Mayflower, Cherokee Trail of Tears.  The beautiful colored flowers on fences have brought comments through the years from neighbors and passersby.  I also use these to tell stories, for example "Mayflower" supposedly came over on the 'Mayflower' with the early settlers.  The Cherokee Trail of Tears goes back to Andrew Jackson moving the Cherokees from their homes in Georgia in the bitter weather to the reservation. Purple podded pole reminds me of the time my daughter chose to plant 'purple' beans, and so forth...

The beauty of the flowers, and wonderful flavors of these different beans make them well worth the effort to grow them.  They can also be grown up a fence in an out of the way area, or make a tipi for them to grow up as a conversation piece.

The ground needs to be warmed up for beans to sprout.  If planted too early they will (at least mine would) just lay in the ground until the right time to sprout and grow.  In our area I wouldn't plant beans until (depending on the weather) about mid-April.  If you are in a more southern area probably the first of April, maybe a little earlier, again depending on the weather.

Beets are the next listing, and I would plant beets earlier than beans.  Indeed the directions for beets say: plant as soon as soil can be worked.  I stay mostly with the old varieties of beets.  Detroit Red or Ruby Queen.  This last year I tried a new variety.  I was reading about beet greens being edible, and low-and-behold as I glanced through the garden catalog pictures the variety, "Kestrel" had the most beautiful vibrant green leaves against the red of the beet itself, those beet greens waved at me.  And one of those little voices said, 'that one there!'.  I was rewarded with my choice.  The beet greens were excellent.  If you like spinach this just may be a variety to take its place.  They are much easier to grow as well.

Another tip...if it has the word 'gourmet' about a variety I steer away from it.  I have tried several things that had that word in the title.  If that was gourmet, I've decided someone has a different idea of gourmet than I do...smile.

Our beets, turnips, kohlrabi all did well in spite of our horrible drought last summer.  Mostly they did well because they were planted early in the spring when there was still enough moisture for them not only to germinate, but to grow.  My double rows are also designed to help with weed control, and the canopy helps preserve moisture as well.

With the next post I plan to share more on the 'early' garden, or early spring plantings and what they would be.  For the scripture I would like to leave with you:

Ecclesiastes 5:9  Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field.

To Live Your Life

In a direct way most will find times when we are 'afraid' to live our lives.  Not even for any real reason, only the fear of making a mistake.

Ecclesiastes 9:11  I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.
Time and chance...I don't know if I believe that 'everything' happens for a reason, as some people have stated.  I do know that God can --and does-- change even bad things into something good for those that love him.  Romans 8:28  And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, even to them that are called according to his purpose.


In the fairy tale story of Sleeping Beauty the angry fairy came in, and determined to take her revenge on the king. So she cries out, "The King's daughter shall in her fifteenth year be wounded by a spindle, and fall down dead." But we know that there was one fair fairy yet to give a gift to the little baby, so that "the twelfth, who had not yet given her gift, came forward and said that the bad wish must be fulfilled, but that she could soften it, and that the king's daughter should not die, but fall asleep for a hundred years."

And so that story goes. The evil that was intended is softened and something good comes from it.  In the case of Sleeping Beauty it took a good long time to see the end of that story.  Our individual stories don't always take so long.

2Peter 3:8  But forget not this one thing, beloved, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9)  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to you-ward, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Some minutes pass like hours, and some hours pass like minutes it just depends on circumstances.  To us a thousand years is a long time, but for God --who does not live by our standards-- time doesn't pass.  It reminds me of being a drop of water in the ocean.  Where does one drop end and another begin?

Circumstances?  We can't always control our circumstances, but we should choose our response to those circumstances.  I say should because even though we should always choose to do the right thing in any given circumstance, many of us would admit that time and chance have a way of taking us by surprise, and only later do we think 'I should have said this...or I should have done that'.   Doing the right thing?  Even when we set our mind and determine to do the right thing it is far too easy to fall short of that noble mark.

There are two things we need to be mindful of.  As humans it is not always possible to keep our promises, but we should always strive to do so to the best of our abiblity.  When my children were growing up I tried to keep my promises.  If I promised some treat or if I promised some punishment, I tried to follow through.  However God does keep his promises.

Living here on earth is like living in a photograph.  Like seeing just one picture, or maybe one corner of the picture.  We blunder along.  We fail to trust in God.  We allow Satan to side track us.  We confuse God's longsuffering with...well, we confuse it with God being slack, or sometimes we believe God doesn't care.  Maybe we believe that there really isn't a God. 

The Bible contains many fulfilled prophesies.  There are many scientific truths, many historical truths contained in scriptures, that all point to the majesty and omnipotence of God, and yet...  People want to quibble with God.  Many people believe they can tell God what they will do, or what they think, or even what He should do and what He should think. 

I don't know why they would be so arrogant, but they are.  Would they treat a president, a king, a queen, a ruler of any kind in such a manner?  

 Galatians 6:7  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Ecclesiastes 3:14  I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.

Live your life before God, but remember:
Ecclesiastes 11:9  ...but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment. 10)  Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh...

Put your life in order, walk in the ways that God would have you walk.

Psalms 46:10  Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.

New Year, New resolution...

Living my life backwards.  I feel like I'm living not in this year, but some time in my past.  The weather today reminds me of--some other day.  The sunshine streaming across the landscape reminds me of--some other time.  Some people call it deja vu--or some such thing.  Doing something, meeting someone, reliving a past experience in the present. 

We are standing on the fresh snow of the new year, poised to begin the journey.  After so many years of 'new journeys' one would think we wouldn't be so naive.  But, as the song says, 'will I be pretty, will I be rich, here's what my mother said to me... Que sera sera; what will be, will be. '   Each new year is a new journey in like manner.  Will life be pretty, will it be rich, what will it say to me?

Some memorable lines from years past:
    If you keep doing the same thing, expect you will keep getting the same results.  
   Insanity?  Doing the same thing and expecting a different result!
   Walk a mile in my shoes?  Then who's shoes would I be walking in?
    One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day?   ( 2Peter 3:8)  I've had minutes that passed like that.  One minute was like a thousand years, and now that I'm older a lifetime that has flashed by like a thousand minutes...



There are some things we never quite grasp.  Here is a quote from a face book friend from a movie she watched;  "the movie Tuck Everlasting. I thought was worth sharing: "People will do anything not to die but will be afraid to live their lives......Don't be afraid of death, be afraid of the unlived life! You don't have to live forever - You just have to LIVE!"" (disclaimer here, I have never watched this movie, do not have any idea other than this quote about it.  I am not endorsing it in any way.)

 This doesn't give you or me the license to live a frivolous, or a godless life.  It doesn't give anyone the cue to be self serving, or less than noble.  On the contrary it should encourage and inspire each person to identify those things in life that are indeed the most noble and virtuous aspirations and seek out those things.  A sort of Noblesse Oblige.

Darwin was not the first to come up with a theory of  'evolution', however, for some reason his theory caught on like a prairie fire in an updraft.  There are a number of odd things though.  Some say even he didn't believe his theory, and whether he did or not it has never been anything but a 'theory'.  It has never been shown in any aspect to be a truth.   There is no basis to it, yet it is taught as fact.  If you don't support it you are then ridiculed as being an antiquated idiot, probably a religious zealot, and ignorant as well.  But look what it accomplished with it's emphasis on 'we're just graduated animals':

Whereas Christian religion elevates humanity to:  Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; Thou crownedst him with glory and honor, And didst set him over the works of thy hands: (Hebrews 2:7)
Evolution says: just a higher form of ape. 
Yet most children are taught evolution as fact, and  by the time they finish high school, they will defend it in the face of all the contrary evidence.  And all of the evidence is contrary to evolution.  There is no fossil record.  No record of anything ever evolving into a new species, nowhere at any time.  Evidence?  Here are two excellent links, one is to Dr. Brad Harrub's website       http://www.focuspress.org/   and the other is to Appologetics press http://www.apologeticspress.com/

So evolution accomplishes it's goal.  The undermining of our society.  Turning humans into mere animals that can act as animals would in a jungle, in a zoo, in nature...where ever.  Acting as if they are not accountable for decent behavior, now they are given license for murder, rape, incest, in a nutshell...for beastly behavior.  But they're wrong.

 Matthew 18:3  and (Jesus) said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye turn, and become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven.

As ironic as it may seem, just try telling a child, "I'll give your brother/sister a piece of candy, but I don't feel like giving a piece of candy to everyone.  So only that one child gets the piece of..."


The hue and cry of the non receivers would be: THAT'S NOT FAIR!"

A child's sense of 'right and wrong' may not be quite on track, but the fact that even as children they have a sense of a standard of right and wrong shows that, unlike animals that have no moral compunction, we ARE different than mere animals.


Some good things to keep in mind until next time:
      Philippians 4:4  Rejoice in the Lord always: again I will say, Rejoice.
5)  Let your forbearance be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
6)  In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7)  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.
8)  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honorable, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
                                                      (To be continued)

How Do We Look?...

How do we look at our lives?  As someone commented the other day, 'It's amazing how, when we like something, we seem to think that God automatically likes it as well'.

1Corinthians 11:28  But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

This is in reference  to the Lord's supper of course, but think on the principle of examining ones' self.  Some people are more harsh with themselves than they would be with others.  The cause may be because we know our self, we know our motives and we feel like we 'should have done better', or known better, or etc.  Then there are those who can't see their own short comings, and tend to make excuses when they fall short.

1Corinthians 11:31  For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

Simply put, if we stand back and do an honest evaluation, maybe ask a trusted friend--one who is honest--using the scriptures to measure yourself we can change the areas where we fall short. The thought, 'Well, I'm better than so-and-so,' should not enter the process:

2Corinthians 10:12 For we are not bold to number or compare ourselves with certain of them that commend themselves: but they themselves, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves with themselves, are without understanding.

If we compare our self with our self, or with someone else for that matter, we are using the wrong standard.  If we were building, or constructing some item we could use a long stick to measure with, but how accurate would that be?  No, we would want to use something that would give us a consistent reading and measurement.  Using the word of God is the best measurement. 

We should be able to look at where we are and see progress to where we want to be.  We need to Set good goals and work toward them.

Galatians 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23)  meekness, self-control; against such there is no law. 24)  And they that are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts thereof. 25)  If we live by the Spirit, by the Spirit let us also walk.   

There was a time when goodness prevailed.  Not that evil and bad things were not present, but generally speaking people were kind one to another, showing the 'fruits' of the Christian teaching. 
 Ephesians 5:9  (for the fruit of the light is in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10)  proving what is well-pleasing unto the Lord;   
Yes, goodness did prevail because we expected Christians to live and walk in a certain way.  For them to do otherwise was --hypocritical, but...

 When I was growing up my family didn't go to 'church'  because there was the feeling that 'if we keep the golden rule then we have fulfilled what God would have us to do'.  They didn't see going to Church as necessary.  Just keep the Golden Rule...because some of them Christians are hypocrites.

But like using a long stick (instead of using a tape measure) to measure our building of the item-- we were measuring with the wrong criteria.  The Golden Rule was and is an important teaching, but it isn't the total teaching in the Bible. 

Some people are hypocrites, but some are just struggling folks that need encouragement.  There is no need to change the standards because we don't feel like everyone can do everything exactly right.  We don't set the standard, God does.

Because we were using our own ideas of what and how things ought to be, our foundations began to wobble.  My family wasn't the only family in the world at that time who  had the same idea.  Consequently our society began to look for 'little gray' areas. Certain things became acceptable to us that shouldn't have been acceptable until little by little the foundation gave way.

We all know we sin and fall short, but there is a difference between slipping and falling into a mud puddle, and sitting down and playing in it.  However, using your short comings to condone MY short comings won't play in Peoria, nor will it excuse us into heaven. 

It is important to God that we hear and keep the teachings of Jesus.  Not just the ones we like, but the ones that are more difficult.  Not just the Golden rule, but all of the rule; all of the standard.

John 12:48  He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my sayings, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I spake, the same shall judge him in the last day.