A standard has been set for the way people should live. The bar has been set, and it has been set by Jesus. Jesus lived and went through everything we go through in life. He lived in the same kind of world that we live in today. His mandate was to change everything, and by doing so, He set the bar SO incredibly high. The Jesus Bar was created.
I have to be honest, when I first realized how high the bar has been set, I was extremely discouraged and even angry with God. "God, how can You be so unfair by expecting me to live up to this kind of a standard You have created? You want me try to live this way when I...JUST... CAN'T." After a lot of thought, prayer, and seeking to understand why God would set this kind of standard for living, I got real happy.
Jesus was perfect. He lived a completely sinless life. Perfect. The bar He has set for people to strive for is a bar of perfection. Here is the beautiful thing about The Jesus Bar - we won't come anywhere near reaching it. In fact, we won’t even be able to touch the coat tails of that bar of perfection.
At first, this really upset me. Why would I strive for something I know I could never reach? Now I realize that I do, and will, because God is amazing for setting that bar so high! No matter how good I am, I can be better. No matter how close to God I am, I can get closer. At the very end of the day, when I look back and say I did well and feel very close to God, God recognizes that I did and am; then I am challenged by that bar to be even better and to get even closer.
Jesus has set the bar. The bar is perfection. Our lives and our relationships with God can always be better and stronger. We will never reach our apex in these things. With each step comes a huge feeling of amazement and that will never, never, go away as long as we continue reaching for that unreachable Jesus Bar.
