I came to work with the 7th and College Church of Christ in Mayfield, Kentucky in November of 2003. The church was in the midst of beginning a building program which would involve lots of my time and effort over the first few years. We moved into our new building and adopted a new name, 7 Oaks Church of Christ, in July of 2006. Through that process I somehow took to using a yardstick I found from the resource room of the church.
This was an old antique yardstick. It was from a Chevrolet dealership advertising 1968 Chevrolets in Madisonville, Kentucky. I don’t know how it ended up at the church, but it became a constant companion of mine.
It was easy and worked well to lay out spaces and measure blueprints. I was protective of this old yardstick and it became a favorite symbol of the building process and memories from those years. I have kept this yardstick in my office in the new building ever since. It became a symbol to me of an important lesson to remember.
This yard-stick reminds me of the Word of God and my role as the preacher of that word. People can guess the length of an object or room space, but the yardstick can be used to determine the truth. It is the standard. This standard was used 50 years ago for length and it is the standard used in 2019. People can debate; the yardstick determines the truth.
The Word of God is the standard of truth which will be used to judge us all on the day of judgment (John 12:48; Rev. 20:12). People say all kinds of things and believe all kinds of different teachings and doctrines, but the Word of God is the standard. Just like my ruler, which was housed in the 7th and College building for decades didn’t change, neither has the Word of God changed. I preach the same gospel message that was preached throughout all those years and it is my duty to continue that tradition.
My prayer is that we can always compare what we hear in current debates with the inspired yardstick of God–His Word. It will always be our guide and teach us what is right and what is wrong. It is truth (John 17:17).
