Life's Standards Published Nov. 3, 2013 By Chaplain Steve Rogers 189th Chaplain's Office Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark. -- We are taught to follow standards in life. This all began when our parents taught us their rules. Many of us learned the hard way what happens when those rules were broken. God also gave us clear standards for living our lives. God gave us the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:1-17, "The Golden Rule in Leviticus 19:18 (which was expanded by Jesus in Matthew 5:43-48) and how husbands & wives should treat each other in Ephesians 4:22-33. When followed correctly, God's standards have worked well for 10,000 years. Many of our current laws actually came from these standards for living. However, God's standards aren't always easy or do not agree with our personal choices. So we sometimes want to make up our own standards or pick and choose which standards we obey. That wasn't God's plan for life and His standards don't ebb and flow with society. His standards aren't based on opinion polls, human emotions or what is "accepted" by American society. God does not change like seasons in the year. He is constant and always consistent. God's standards are also unchanging and consistent. God loves us and gives us standards to protect us from the consequences of living by societal standards. If we follow God's standards, given by a God who is all-knowing and has set high standards for our benefit, we will have a much better life with fewer consequences for bad choices made in a difficult world.