Measured by Deon Crafford

Isaiah 28:16-17 Therefore thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’ And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plumb line; and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters will overwhelm the shelter.”

There is a universally accepted “law” in business theory that states, you can’t manage what you can’t measure. It implies that unless you have data as a reference point, you don’t have a way of determining whether your actions or interventions are effective. We may understand that as far as finances (profit and loss) are concerned, but what about behaviour?

Right now I am involved in assisting an organisation with adjustments to their culture – the consistency of specific behaviours that drive employee engagement and successful delivery- and even though this may be slightly more vague in terms of definition, the measures are inarguable. They are higher levels of production outputs (weight/volume) and no lost workdays (injuries/fatalities). Culture is opaque, but its measures are clear and inescapable. A productive and safe organisation, will be so because the culture drives it. Does it always mean the culture is gentle and relaxed – absolutely not. I don’t think anyone of us would want to fly in a plane or go into an operating theatre where the culture is relaxed. The measure here is simple – do you arrive/come out alive.

God also measures against His standard and reference point. The word often refers to this in terms of a measuring or plumb line. And there are other indications of the fact that our faith and relationship in God contains measure. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:12-13). Whether we’re comfortable or not, God will keep holding up the plumb line to each one of us. We will keep being confronted by the test of our relationship with Him. If is sounds like legalism (which it isn’t) and you take discomfort with it, then ask yourself why you’re so comfortable with many other measures in your life – your vital signs, your environmental footprint, your amassing of a nest egg for retirement, your academic achievements. Why are measures OK for us, until it gets to our faith and to God? In today’s woke society people seem to reject measures that may appear to hold judgement, and yet they embrace so many self-designed measures to call out those that don’t fit their “culture”. No matter who you are, you live by measures. Respond then to the plumb line God holds up to you. Decide whether your wall is straight and strong, or creative but crumbling.

Love to all