RELAXED STANDARDS
READ: EXODUS 20: 1-21
“I AM the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in Egypt. (V. 2)
The directive from Headquarters announced that officers would no longer have to wear full dress coats and ties for major court appearances. The standards were relaxed, and we were permitted to wear the uniform of the day. This was an opened collared shirt or one with a turtleneck replacing the traditional necktie. The move was popular as most officers did not like to wear the stuffy and cumbersome dress coat, especially during the warm summer months. However, a few officers abused the privilege, and their untidy appearance began to erode the respect given the department by members of the court and the general public. Their unkept appearance produced a perception of poorly prepared cases. While this was far from the actual fact, perception prevailed over truth that damaged the department’s public image.
Relaxed standards have reached far beyond police department regulations at this time in our history. Moral and ethical codes of conduct have been relaxed and compromised as evidenced by the many scandals that have rocked our national conscience in the past few years. Relaxed standards have produced the terms “friends with benefits, casual sex, and living together,” as ways to weaken the institution of marriage. It is now commonplace to regard Sundays as a day to engage in many other activities as the culture of “weekend warriors” slowly, but surely, erodes church attendance. I am sure each of us could list examples of how our approach to life has become more relaxed as we seek ways to rationalize our bending of God’s standards. After all, they were written thousands of years ago for a stubborn stiff-necked people—not an intelligently advanced civilization like ours. The sad fact, which transcends perception, is that our relaxed commitment to our principles of faith, has caused us to ignore the will and desires of our Heavenly Father.
Moses directly received God’s Commandments—not suggestions for right living. He provided them not only to the people of Israel but all humanity. Jesus, God’s Son, highlighted the two greatest commandments— “Love the Lord your God and Love your neighbor as yourself.” Nothing difficult, nothing to relax, just simple commands for straight forward living. The time has arrived for us to ‘tighten-up” our standards for living.
PAUSE FOR REFLECTION AND PRAYER
Have you allowed your moral faith-based character to become untidy or relaxed? Jesus is honored when we wear our full dress uniform every day and uphold his commandments for Christian living.
Jesus have mercy on me, a sinner, for accepting the relaxed road to living. Help me focus on living in obedience to your will.
You’re Brother in Christ,
Fred Ailes