Standards

Introduction
Life is filled with standards. We have standards of measurement for time, weight, size, length, distance, etc. Standards make life easier by providing a commonly agreed upon reference for measurement.

Description
By looking at some common standards of measurement in this object lesson, youth will consider the standards we use to measure the life we live.

Materials
Bathroom scale, food scale, measuring cup, ruler, yard stick, tape measure, thermometer, barometric pressure gauge, clock, dictionary, calendar, a teaspoon & tablespoon, a chalk line, a plumb line, a level, One dollar bill, a Bible, etc.

Preparation

1. Gather as many common "standards" as you can find.
2. Standards can be pulled from a bag, laid out on display, or incorporated into a game so that the youth identify what each standard is used to measure.
3. You could add items to the standards that are unusual or maybe don't even fit at all. Some unusual ones might be a battery (voltage), ring (ring size), t-shirt (small, med large), an egg, a dozen, a street sign, a law book, light bulb, radio (volume), etc.
4. Make sure a Bible is included among the items.

Demonstration
You can use a variety of methods for this object lesson:

• Have youth identify which standard of measurement they would use to measure a particular item.
• Have youth identify what units each standard uses.
• Have you identify what things can be measured with each standard.
• Have students identify which items are standards of measurement from a group of items.
• 5. Reveal and discuss each standard of measurement.

Discussion

• What are the advantages of having standards?
• Why are standards necessary?
• How are standards decided?
• Who decides the standard?
• Are there different standards in different countries? Why?
• Do standards allow you to cheat? (As an example, how can one cheat while using a scale to measure weight?)
• How do you measure a person's life? What are some standards people use to evaluate their lives?
• In what ways is the Bible a standard?
• What do we measure with the Bible?

Closing Application
When there are no standards everybody thinks they are right and there can be a lot of misunderstanding and arguments. Its hard to compare anything unless you have a standard of comparison. The Bible is a standard to evaluate a person's life. We can compare ourselves with God's law, with God, and with Christ. When we look at God's standard we realize that none of us measure up. Not of us can meet his standards. We learn what is right and wrong and because we can compare ourselves to God's standard we know we have done things that are wrong. The Bible is a standard for living, for life. But no matter how far we fall short, Jesus has already bridged the gap between where we are and the standard of God. He has filled the different so that God can accept us according to his standard of righteousness.

Application
We need to know God Word, his standard, so that we can live our lives accordingly. We need to look to Christ, seeking forgiveness for our shortfall, so that he will bridge the gap for us.