The measure of a person

What is the true measure of a person?” asked Richard Halverson. He wrote, “Do you measure him like a string – by length? Are the years a person occupies space on this earth the clue to his effectiveness?”

The longest life ever lived was by Methuselah – 969 years. Today, that would be roughly from the middle of the 11th century to now. On the other hand, Jesus lived for only 33 years – one-nineteenth as long as Methuselah. There’s more to life than the mere length of it.

Can life be measured like a board – by breadth? Is the index to a man’s life how much influence he has? In our power-mad world, is this the final arbiter of greatness? Or is greatness measured by the degree of domination that one has over another? For example, Alexander the Great took the throne of his father Philip in the year 332 BC. In 12 short years, he conquered the world.

Some measure others by height – that is, how high they climb the ladder of achievement. Yet many, having reached the top, discover their ladder is leaning on the wrong wall.

The Bible measures a man by his depth. Like a tree, everything depends on its roots. The psalmist said, “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night” (Psalm 1:1-2).

The true measure of a person is not influence or domination, nor the height of success, but the depth of his life. How deep do your roots go? Deep enough to withstand the storms and endure the winds of life? Be sure your foundation is Jesus Christ. Build the house of your life on the Rock! 

Used with permission from Guidelines International Ministries. To learn more about Guidelines and the ministry, send an e-mail to [email protected]. You may also visit www.guidelines.org.