Years ago, in Manchester England, there lived a factory worker who had a very
responsible job. The whistle that marked the beginning and end of the work day
was operated by a clock and it was his job to be sure the clock was accurate.
So every day on his way to work he stopped by the window of a clock shop. In
the window was a very expensive clock and he set his watch by it. Then he set
the factory whistle clock by his watch.

The owner began to notice him stopping by the window every day on his way to
work, and asked him about it. He explained that he set the factory clock by
that fine clock in the window so that the factory whistle would blow on time.
The owner laughed. “All this time I’ve been setting this clock by your
factory whistle.”

If we measure our lives by the lives of others we will have a poor standard, we
will be comparing ourselves with ourselves. Only if we compare our lives to the
life of Jesus Christ can we know how closely we measure up, or how far we fall
short.


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About The Author

Robert Shannon, a retired preacher living in North Carolina, began preaching at the age of 16. He has preached in churches in Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, and Florida, his longest ministry at First Christian Church of Largo Florida. Now in semi-retirement, he has preached regularly for churches in North Carolina and Tennessee. He has also contributed to kingdom work as a missionary to Eastern Europe and as a Bible College professor. He is past-president of the North American Christian Convention. Bob is the author or co-author of several books.

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