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Tuesday, February 12, 2019

God's Metrics


We live in a world of metrics that is obsessed with measuring progress in almost every area of life. The business world has created an entire glossary of terms for measuring CPM (Corporate Performance Management). Every business needs to know its ROI (Return on Investment), Churn Rate (the measure of customer or employee attrition over a specified time) EBITDA. (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization), to name a few.

Education has long used measurements to determine a student’s future.  Any student with ambitions beyond secondary education is familiar with the stress and importance of the SAT, ACT or, in to enter graduate school, the GMAT, GRE, LSAT and MCAT.

Sports is filled with metrics. Hundredths of a second separate sprinters, downhill skiers, bobsledders and speed skaters from the podium and also rans.  PGA golfers are rated by average score, percentage of fairways hit, greens in regulation, putts per round and many others. When Phil Mickelson won Pebble Beach last week he was compared to all those who won on that course in the last 100 years.  Baseball is synonymous with statistics: RBI, OPS, BA, BB/K, ERA, etc. The list is long.

If measurements are so important in other areas of life, it might be good to know God’s metrics. How does God measure success or failure?

Most of us assume that God’s measurements are limited to religion: church attendance, offerings, budgets, building, religious ceremonies and service. Surprisingly, according to the Bible these things are not God’s primary concern.

The prophets taught that God could care less about religious ceremonies. In Amos, God says, “Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; …Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”

In Isaiah, God says, “I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me; … So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; … Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.”

When Jesus confronted the religious leaders of his day, he reproved them for focusing on religious disciplines.  “You have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness.  These are the things you should have done.” (Matthew 23:23). 

So, how well are we measuring up by God’s standard of measurement? Not well, I am afraid.
Everywhere and on ever side we are surrounded by infidelity, deceit, prejudice, resentment and anger.  Just read the news. We need to stop fooling ourselves. His measurements are true.

Every generation must come to grips with its sin. If we acknowledge our sins and turn to Him in faith He has promised, “I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my ordinances and do them. Then they will be my people, and I shall be their God.” (Ezekiel 11:19-20), (Romans 6:4), (2 Corinthians 3:5-6).

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