A minister had a special teacher, named Mr. Thompson, when he was in the fifth grade. Not only was he an excellent educator but he also went to great lengths to build the confidence and the sense of self-worth of the student. He showed interest in the boy's family life and he encouraged the boy's participation in sports. This teacher was rare in the passion and the caring he brought to his students.

Then the boy went on to the sixth grade. He began to hang around with a different group of students. The boys that he was now hanging out with were notorious for their shoplifting, their indifference to school, and their foul language. Mr. Thompson recognized what was taking place, and one day he asked the boy if he would stay after school and talk with him.

As they talked that afternoon, Mr. Thompson expressed concern for the boy's new friends and their behavior. The boy quickly responded to him that just because he hung around with those boys didn't mean that he did everything they did.

Mr. Thompson thought about that for a moment and then he said something that has always stayed with the minister. He said, "What do you think would happen if I took one good apple and put it in a barrel full of bad apples?Do you really think one good apple could change all of those bad apples into good apples?"

Very sheepishly the boy said, "No, I don't think so."

Then Mr. Thompson said, "Well, the same is true for young boys."

That is the challenge we, as Christians, face. We are called to a higher standard. When we encounter Jesus, our perspective about that which is acceptable changes. We have a new master and a new set of guidelines for living our lives.