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The Trouble with Obedience
by Toni Smothers As children of God, we desire and faithfully pursue Christ's redemption, while we also yearn for God's grace. We pray that His Holy Spirit will saturate our lives. In our gratitude, we develop a truly worshipful love for our Savior. When God accepts our worship, His glory is revealed to us as He inhabits our praises. We experience a deep communion with God's presence as He pours His love and unfathomable peace into our hearts and minds. But, before any of that becomes possible, we must discard the world's standards and replace them with God's Law. In the Old Testament we read about God's demand for holy perfection and the blood sacrifices required for forgiveness of sin that the Israelite people lived under. God says in Leviticus 18:5 (NIV), "Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. I am the LORD." You will notice that God doesn't say, keep some of the laws. God's laws were, and still remain, inflexible and they demand complete obedience. God is holy and He wants His people to be holy also. This is a very real problem for us. Even on our best day, even deliberately separating ourselves from the world, how could we shed all the pride and selfishness inherent in us? We try, sure, but we can't actually live sinless lives. We are sinners in desperate need of complete change. The Pastor, the Elders of your church or the Christian you most admire are all sinful people! Even if we know Romans 7:22 by heart, ("With my whole heart I agree with the Law of God."), we simply cannot live that out by ourselves. That's the reason, in His love and mercy, God sent us Jesus. (See John 3:16) Jesus lived a sinless life and offered himself as the blood sacrifice for our sins. Jesus has broken sin's power and polluting influence over us. The problem with perfect obedience has been solved because God accepts Jesus' covering over His believers and grants us forgiveness. We now have the privilege of living an abundant life in the present, with the Holy Spirit as our guide. Once we physically die, we are promised an eternity in heaven with God - We are truly blessed! "For the law of the Spirit, which brings us life in union with Christ Jesus, has set me free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:2 Check out Romans 8:1-11 to read more on this life changing subject. I love writing and I love God. If I can influence anyone to know Jesus, I'll be fulfilling my purpose as a child of God. That is my heart - Come follow me! Toni Smothers [email protected] www.writingforthemaster.com Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |