In the game of basketball, the stand that holds up the basketball hoop is called the "standard." In almost every league, organization, or gym, the standard is held at 10 feet high. I have been playing basketball in gyms and churches since I could barely walk. The hoop has always been 10 feet high. I am a basketball fan. More so of college basketball, but I like the NBA too. And what I have noticed is this...no matter if it is little Johnny's 12 year old "rec league" team, or Lebron James and the Miami Heat playing the Los Angeles Lakers, the hoop is always 10 feet high. Isn't that interesting? The hoop isn't lowered based on one's ability to play basketball. Imagine if the hoop was lowered based on who was shooting the ball? So Kobe Bryant plays with the same standard as my high school team's. What can we learn from this? Let me tell you...
That is exactly how the gospel of Jesus Christ is. The standards are high. Christ expects us to keep a code of conduct that the world doesn't keep. The world wants the standards adjusted, even lowered, to meet their wants. The Lord expects us to love one another, attend church every Sunday, keep the Word of Wisdom, save intimate relations until after we are married, and many other things. Difficult? Sometimes. Unreasonable? Absolutely not. The Lord will never lower his standards just because the world does. We must step up our game. The standard will be "10 feet" and it always will be. Even if we are "Lebron James" spiritually, or if we don't think we have much skill or if we don't care, it will always be 10 feet. It can't be adjusted. Christ expects a lot out of us. Salvation is not free. The best we can do is practice, practice, practice. Why sell our selves short by shooting on a lowered hoop? In the end we will still have to shoot at a 10 foot hoop. We can't sell ourselves short in the gospel. We must put it to practice to master it.
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