If you trust me to do what is best for you, will you do what I ask? That is basically the question, and the paradox, that God puts before us. Do we love Him and trust Him by following His rules, the Ten Commandments? Or do we follow what He says because we know He has our best interest at heart?
I used to view church and the Ten Commandments as just more rules to follow designed to keep me from having fun, pretty much the same way my kids view what I say. The difference came when I realized that God loves me, even though I was not following His rules, which made me want to follow His rules. It is a process to learn that there is so much freedom and protection in staying on the path.
The very first thing God says when He gives Moses the Ten Commandments is I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD. If we would base everything else on that, things would fall into place.
Why would I need idols, when You are MY God?
Why would I speak Your Name with anything less than reverence, because You are my GOD?
Why do I need to make something to represent You, when You ARE my God?
Why can't I set aside even one day to worship You, when YOU are my God?
Why don't I honor the parents You gave me, since You are MY God?
Why do I worry that what my neighbor has is better than what I have, because You ARE MY GOD?
Why do I consider adultery as an option, in all its forms, when You are My God?
Why would I color the truth, even a little, when You are My God?
Why would I want to kill someone, when You are My God?
Why do I need to take what doesn't belong to me, when You are my God?
I think the reason we decide it is okay to compromise these commandments is because we haven't taken the time to get to know Him. It is much easier, desirable even, to serve someone you know. We are so blessed to serve a God who puts relationship at the beginning of everything. Having said all this, God knew we would not be able to do all of this all the time. That's where grace comes in, but that discussion is for another blog post.
If you are still seeing Him as a rule setter, fun stealer, and generally a kill-joy, I would challenge you, plead with you even, to get to know Him. Allow yourself to be proven wrong.
Yes, indeed! I would sit here & tell you I have whole-hearted belief that God has my best interests at heart! But, the less-than-attractive truth is shown by my actions. My belief rests in my heart & mind... but somehow too often fails to reach my hands & feet for the "doing" part!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your encouraging words at my blog & for linking! I really appreciate it! ~D.
This is wonderful. I can't believe I haven't read your blog for so long, but I am hearing exactly what I need to hear tonight so maybe it's not simply an accident:)
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