Skip to main content

Love And

           Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. (John 14:23)

          This is the definition of Christian. It is someone who loves Christ and therefore obeys Him.  As a result, God and Jesus make their home with the person. We struggle with the idea that love means we obey God. We don’t have as much trouble with the notion that God should obey us. We call that answering prayers. And we’ve all experienced broken relationships within our homes or witnessed them in the homes of those around us. We’ve been told having healthy boundaries is essential to personal and interpersonal well-being.

          So why is it that we have such problems with the notion of loving and obeying God? Yes, our fallen nature is a big part of it. But I think another part of it might be just the need for a paradigm shift – a small change in our worldview. As humans, we want to be “like the Most High.” As Americans, we see ourselves as everyone’s equals.

Loving God meaning obeying God is partly a case of letting God be God. It’s not that different from “I’m the parent/teacher/boss.” If your children, students, or employees try to assume control, things don’t work well. Being a good parent, teacher, or boss doesn’t involve whips, chains, and shouts of “Tote that barge. Lift that bale!” In the same way, obeying God doesn’t mean debasement or abject slavery. But neither will God tolerate our taking the role of master over Him. This is why we run into trouble if we're not careful about making statements like, "My god would never _______."


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saved?

  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28-30) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” (Matthew 7:21-23) Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” (Romans 3:4)   What conclusion do you draw when someone who was raised in a Christian family and church, perhaps even playing a significant role in a chur...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Shepherd!

                 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep . (John 10:14) God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” (Genesis 3:14) The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths     for his name’s sake. Even though I walk     through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil,     for you are with me; your rod and your staff,     they comfort me. (Psalm 23:1-4) For the Jews, it was politically incorrect to make claims about yourself as a teacher (or possibly as anything else.) Teachers were expected to take pride in the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Listen To Him

              The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him . (Deuteronomy 18:15)           Today, we switch from Jesus’ claims of “I am” to prophecies made about Him. My Bible platform is starting in Deuteronomy. I’d start in Genesis, where we would learn that the one who would save us would be a descendant of Eve (Genesis 3:15), of Noah (by default), Abram and Sara(Genesis 12:1-3). Isaac (Genesis 17:19), Jacob (Genesis 25:23), Judah (Genesis 29:8), and David (II Samuel 7:12-16). There were also references to a new covenant (Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:22-32). In addition, there were prophecies about when and where the prophet/Messiah would be born and what would happen to him.           Of course, naysayers will claim that Jesus’ life was retrofitted or reverse enginee...
Post a Comment
Read more