September 7, 1998, Monday

Have you ever considered how our laws and regulations were

made and determined? What standard was used to determine

those regulations? Is there an absolute right or an absolute

wrong style of life actions? Or are the situations we face

all gray areas that leave us to make our own standards?

The Scriptue tells us that God gave Moses ten commandments

as a standard code of ethics for His people. It was the ideal

for His people to follow. There were provisions, procedures,

and penalties when His people failed to keep those standards.

The provisions were forgiveness of sins by sacrifices, the

procedures were restitutions for wrongs committed, and the

penalties were to remind His people that suffering always

comes from the consequences of sin. Moses executed the

legal system by God's standard of righteousness.

Peter tells us that God's magnificent promises are for

those people that have selected God's standard to live.

That does not mean they are perfect, but they are pursuing

His standard of righteousness. Just as David sought mercy

from God for his visibly high moral failure, we also

should go to the throne of grace to find mercy in time of

need. David prayed that God would take his guilt away,

restore the joy of his salvation, and reinstate him.

David trusted in the mercies of God to energize the

righteousness of God in his life once again.

What many of us forget is that there actually is a

universal struggle taking place. That struggle is between

the forces of good and evil. If you have aligned yourself

with the forces of righteousness, you recognize that you

have an enemy. Your adversary is Satan. Zechariah

tells us that he accuses the bretheren, but God puts a

robe of righteousness around His people. Satan will try

every conceivable method to destroy the standard that is

our strength and our protection.

Let us remember who is the God that is our banner. God's

name is Jehová Nissi. He is the God whose banner over

us is His love. He raises up His standard of righteousness

for us when the enemy comes in like a flood. He makes that

standard of righteousness a worthy life goal to pursue first.

Lift your hands to Him and Praise Him today for the fact

that He is the God who is our banner and sign to rally

our cause!