St Andrews PCEA Church - Nairobi

“Let Him weigh me with accurate scales, And let God know my integrity.” Daniel 5:27

If creation is anything to go buy, if the cross is to carry its due weight and if the empty tomb is to be worthy of its triumph, God is more serious about His standards than we think.

Some time not so long ago, a pastor from a leading and fast growing church in the city came visiting our congregation. After the meeting, our pastor escorted him to the car park. It happened that our pastor was also going out of the church compound after waving off the visiting pastor. As the visiting pastor drove off, he saw our minister getting into a car. The visiting pastor asked his driver to stop and his big machine braked suddenly. He lowered his back left tinted window and asked, in a tone that was a cocktail of shock, disbelief, disappointment and a slight anger  “Are you not the pastor of this church?” Our pastor, rather lost as to the bearing and basis of the question, responded rather curiously “Yes. I’m.”  The visitor continued, now with more curls of disapproval on his face, “And is that your car?” My pastor looked intensely at his car, his eyes traveling from boot to the bonnet…zigzagging down and up, up and down from the wheels to the roof. Even his mind tilted to confirm the number plates, as his memory simultaneously confirmed its many missionary journeys and great pastoral treks. Yes, this dear, simple and functional Toyota was his car. In his custom gentle fatherly way he hoisted his face to the younger visiting pastor whose car’s high clearance made him high and lifted up. He half smiled, and the visiting pastor disapprovingly curled his face some more.

We all have levels. We have zones of glory. We have well marked boundaries that keep us secure in our farms of pride. We all have qualities we do everything to protect – in physical appearance, in wealth, in spirituality, in intellect, in character, in family relationships, in professionalism in interactions with friends…we all have standards.

When it comes to the standards God expects of us,  a reigning contemporary overunderstanding of grace presents us an urban negotiating God; one aware of the competitive market and so ready to bargain and consequently cut His expectations from “very good” to an “affordable” load. This negotiating school teaches that God is more lenient than He appears.

But if creation is anything to go buy, if the cross is to carry its due weight and if the empty tomb is to be worthy of its triumph, I’m tilted to believe that God is more serious about His standards than we think. When He says “Learn from me” He means no absenteeism. When He says of the Spirit “He will teach and remind you all things,” He means it is critical that you be above the cut off mark.

Pastor Buri E.