On non-Biblical standards

The Bible is a great liberating book. It gives me God's will for my life and frees me from man's notions.
What do I mean and why am I saying that?
Well because it is easy to surrender your conscience, your peace and your joy to all sorts of crazy ideas because they sound right. For example (and I choose a MILD one just to get you thinking), ministers are often told that they should always be the first person out of bed in their house so that they can pray for the family while they are still asleep (the family asleep, the minister praying...)
But the Bible doesn't say that. It's not in the pastoral epistles. It is not there.

Now it just so happens that I usually am the first up. But that's just because I am very mornings and no use in the evening. My wife is hopeless in the morning but has endless energy in the evening. But sometimes I am not first up. If I have preached at a church 5 hours' drive away and arrived home in the wee hours I am the last up the next day, for example.

So it's not even a sensible rule.

It's sometimes stated more strongly. I remember being exhorted not to speak at all to my wife before going to the study (garage) for a time of prayer.

Why? On what basis? If I treated my wife like that I am not sure whether she'd phone a doctor, or one of the elders!

Here's one that I know neither man would mind me using. Two respected friends who I love more than my life have the goal of preaching through the Bible - one in his lifetime, the other every 10 years. Those are both good goals. But neither goal can be imposed on every preacher because the Bible itself doesn't.

Why does this matter? Because

1) It is for freedom that Christ set us free. We mustn't be taken captive by sin OR by false religiosity.

2) Pointing out imaginary gnats to strain at ("Oh dear, I said good morning to my wife again today...") is a good way of deflecting our view from the camels of real sin.