Jesus ... the Gold Standard

"When He saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain, and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him.  Then He began to teach them..."  Matthew 5:1-2

Have you ever thought of Jesus' sermon on the mount as setting the "gold standard" for human behavior?  In the financial world, the "gold standard" refers to a monetary system where the currency value is based on a fixed weight of gold.  This makes that currency very stable and solid as long as it is backed up by gold. 

When it comes to human behavior, who sets the standard?... who makes the rules?  It has to be based upon some standard of truth, and this is precisely what Jesus does in his "sermon on the mount" described in the book of Matthew, chapters 5 through 7.  This sermon covers nearly  every part of human endeavor and behavior, including:

• "the beatitudes" - blessings based on love and humility
• salt and light
• Christ fulfilling the law
• murder
• divorce
• adultery
• love your enemies
• giving
• praying
• possessions
• anxiety
• judging
• searching
• foundations

If you've never read the entire sermon on the mount, I encourage you to do so.  It can easily be read in a few minutes, but it has a lifetime of lessons and teachings.  If only we could take these to heart and live by them.  Consider how the world would be such a different place if we could do this...

-Andy G.

Click here to read the sermon on the mount, Matthew 5-7