Leviticus 19:35 Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or quantity.

Deuteronomy 25:15 You must have accurate and honest weights and measures, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

While on our “Footsteps of Luther” tour earlier this year, As we were walking through an area of one city that had been an outdoor market for centuries, our guide stopped us and pointed to the side of a building. There were several metal bars of various lengths mounted there. He informed us that those were the measuring rods the buyers and sellers used to verify they were getting the correct quantity of the goods they purchased. For example, you could hold up a piece of cloth next to the rod to confirm the length you paid for was the length you received.

Scripture offers many cautions against using false measures in your dealings with people, encouraging instead that we be honest with one another. The verses above are an example of that.

God has standards for us as well, standards He uses to let us know how we measure up in His sight. The short list is the Ten Commandments, summarized by Jesus as loving God and loving others.

Matthew 22:37–39 Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

When compared to God’s measuring rods, we are all found to be lacking. We are not the people He intended us to be. Paul affirms this very bluntly:

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

That is why Jesus came. Through His life, He measured up to God’s standards, living without sin. He offers that perfection to us as a gift because He knows we don’t have it on our own. And He offered that perfection for us on the cross so that we could be forgiven and have the assurance of God’s grace and mercy.

I thank God that Jesus did not fall short, measured up to the standard required for me.