BC / AC

Most people would say that God's commands are a set of rules we need to keep in mind as we go throughout our lives. They are a set of 'guidelines' we are to 'adhere to' the best we can in order to somehow 'make our way to God'. There is 'no making one's way to God' - he already made his way to us! We 'keep' the commands of God not because we 'have to', but because they are what actually gives us a new way of living.

I will never forget your commands, because through them you gave me new life. (Proverbs 119:93)

Let's look at it this way - BC (Before Christ) we likely 'colored outside the lines' a bit with our lives. Then AC (After Christ) was given control of our lives, we have likely observed some change in our priorities, actions, and even our attitude. Yes, his presence begins this work, but it is more than we just keep his commands. We actually delight in keeping them - we see them as a way of making better choices. We don't resist them any longer, trying to color outside the lines, but trust the 'lines' are there because they will shape us into loving and caring individuals.

The commands of God aren't burdensome to a believer because they are actually shaping our lives anew. We don't keep them because we have to, but because we delight in the 'freedom' of spirit, soul, and mind that comes when we do. Most outside of a relationship with Jesus would think that an odd statement to make because they cannot see any set of rules as giving us 'freedom'. Our freedom is 'bought' by keeping the commands of God, but reinforced when we move from just knowing the commands into the place of allowing them to affect the way we live.

Some might believe that this scripture implies the keeping of his commands as the way to new life, but this isn't what is meant when God tells us we are given new life through them. We are given new life when we take hold of Christ, allow him to be the central part of our lives, and then trust him to show us how his commands create a circle of protection over our lives. The more we ask God to show us his truths, coupled with the prayer to help us incorporate those truths into our daily actions, the more we will delight in those commands. Just sayin!

Standing Out

“Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)

The opening of this chapter includes a promise - IF you obey all his decrees and commands, you WILL enjoy long life. The caveat? We have to listen closely and be careful to obey. Two very difficult things for us at times! Part of serving God is allowing God to help us get our heart right. We have a deceitful heart and have a hard time knowing how to 'behave' as a result of the confusion we feel at times. We know what is right, but we struggle to actually do it with any consistency. As God instructed - we have to 'repeat' his commands. What does repetition do? It allows us to hear time and again, considering with a fresh outlook each time we hear. We don't always hear all that is to be heard the first time, do we? Sometimes we need it to be repeated one way, then another, until we finally 'get' what is being said.

The Word of God isn't to be 'dabbled in' from time to time. It is to be a daily part of our lives. Skip a day after you have made it a routine you prioritize, and you will notice how 'different' your day actually is without that 'infusion' of his Word. Making time in his Word a routine is difficult at first, but it is so important to our spiritual well-being. We cannot always be 'spoon fed' the Word of God - we have to learn to feed ourselves. That means we get a Bible, get into it regularly, even if only taking it one verse at a time until we develop a 'taste' for it. The more his Word gets in, the more our sinfulness goes out! It is like putting clear, fresh water into a stagnant cistern - the constant flow of fresh water will eventually begin to change the water in the cistern. 

Living the way God desires us to live may mean we don't always choose the most popular of opinions. There will be times when we 'stand out' from the crowd because of what we choose to do, say, or trust in. That isn't a bad thing. God was preparing the nation of Israel to go into the Promised Land. As he did, he gave them these commands. In so doing, he was telling them they would 'stand out' amongst the other nations. A heart dedicated to the plans and purposes of God will always 'stand out'! Just sayin!

Live within or struggle without

How joyful are those who fear the Lord and delight in obeying his commands. Such people will not be overcome by evil. Those who are righteous will be long remembered. They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them. They are confident and fearless and can face their foes triumphantly. They share freely and give generously to those in need. Their good deeds will be remembered forever. They will have influence and honor. (Psalm 112:1, 5-9)

Serve God and obey his commands. There is great reward in living according to the standards God lays out for us in his Word. Nothing outdoes the grace of God, no one outdoes his love. Evil abounds, but those who choose to walk with Jesus will never be overcome by that evil. How do we recognize evil? Is it always right 'out there and in our face'? No, certainly not - sometimes it is an undercurrent, an attitude, a cleverly disguised argument. The Word of God actually helps us recognize the undercurrent, avoiding the pull of that current. It also helps us see the attitude even before it infects the masses. We need the wisdom God provides in his Word, but we also need the will to do as wisdom suggests!

Delight in obedience - that almost seems like an oxymoron. How many times do we struggle with obedience instead of 'delighting' in it? To delight indicates we actually 'enjoy' or find deep satisfaction in those acts of obedience. Let's be honest here - not every action of obedience is easy, nor is it immediately 'delightful'. Sometimes it is downright hard, kind of 'out there', and requires more than lip-service. In fact, if we are to live 'obedient lives', we need to recognize our 'confidence' is not in our own ability to live obediently but is in Christ's enabling power within us. The godly recognize when the path isn't good for them, but the obedient do more than recognize a wrong path - they actually avoid it, help others know not to take it, and point out a better path.

Those who delight in the commands of God find themselves surrounded with a peace that isn't 'equal' to the circumstances around them. In fact, it surpasses the circumstances! Bad news comes, foes line up to make an attack, and the godly find themselves secure in the peace of God. Why? Nothing moves us out of God's protection - nothing except our own will! Choose to live inside God's boundaries and you soon recognize there is a 'blessing' in living within those 'walls'. Choose to constantly put your toe across the line and you will soon find your 'security' and 'peace' is disturbed. Why? God knows a 'disturbed peace' is a means by which we recognize having 'violated' a boundary. Trust that 'feeling' you call a 'lack of peace' and seek to get back within those boundaries!

Delight in obedience - it is possible because when we actively choose to incorporate the truths of God into our daily lives, we are going to find we face life's circumstances with a different attitude and a whole lot more grace than when we do outside of his 'commands'. I don't know about you, but I have chosen to 'live within' rather than 'struggle without'. Just sayin!

Fairing Well

Rules exist for our safety - at least that is what I have been told repeatedly. Can we really say we always play by the rules? Or that we actually "enjoy" the rules? Truth be told, most of us resist the rules on occasion, or think they are not really pertinent to our lives, so we don't embrace them as we should. If I didn't own a handgun, all laws (rules) applying to firearms wouldn't really apply to me. Yet, I could go out today and acquire one - making those rules ever so important for me to understand. I don't have to become acquainted with the rules until I need to use them within my life - convenient, huh? Most of us deal with most of God's rules in life in this manner - if there is not a clear-cut reason for them right now in the "here and now", then they are good to have, but we don't go out of our way to learn them. Even when these rules are God's rules, we don't need to know them fully to understand they still apply to us!

I enjoy following your rules as much as others enjoy great riches. (Psalm 119:14)

A rule is something which is in place to govern our actions - it is to be the observed practice in the lives of those under that rule. Here in my area, the speed limit on the freeways is predominantly 65 miles per hour. There are a few stretches which are 55 miles per hour, but for the most part they remain at 65. Now, how many folks actually slow down when they hit those slower sectors? Not many! It is as though the "rule" is a suggestion, not a requirement - UNTIL you see the speed trap with the radar gun ahead! Then watch the brake lights come on! What is the difference? As long as no one enforces the rules, we don't think they really matter to us! Do you know why speed limits are set the way they are? It is usually because of the flow of traffic in and out of the lanes of that busy part of the freeway - slowing down traffic makes it easier for merging traffic to enter the freeway, but also it makes it safer!

Rules are to govern our actions, keep us safe, and may not immediately appear to affect us on the surface, but if not observed, can place both us and those around us in danger. Perhaps this will give us a different outlook on the rules God establishes for our lives and records for us in scripture. Maybe we don't know all the reasoning behind those rules, but we can be sure they are there for the reasons stated above! We don't need to know the reason behind each and every "rule", but we should embrace them all with equal enthusiasm because they are both for our protection and our well-being.

Protection is one thing - well-being is another. Protection is the preservation from harm or injury. Well-being is what we might call our "state of affairs". As long as we can say our "well-being" is good, we are describing a state of life in which there is perhaps health, good fortune, prosperity, or what some might call "fairing well". God's "rules" or "commands" are there for both! There is nothing onerous about his "rules" when we begin to think of them this way. They are there to protect us from harm or injury - this is indeed a desirable state, is it not? They are there to bring us into places of "fairing well", no matter what the challenges are we might face. This is indeed a much better state than we could produce on our own, isn't it?

No wonder our psalmist says he follows God's rules like some others might pursue the riches of this world! He has come to realize there is much more value in living according to the standards God lays out for his life than there is in pursuing the things which don't last. If we embrace ALL the rules, even those we don't know or think apply to us at this moment, we will indeed "fair well" in this life. Just sayin!F

Fairing well because of the rules

Can you really say you always play by the rules?  Or that you actually "enjoy" the rules established by which you are asked to live your life?  Truth be told, most of us resist the rules on occasion, or think they are not really pertinent to our lives, so we don't embrace them as we should.  I don't own a handgun, so all laws (rules) applying to firearms don't really apply to me, do they? Yet, I could go out today and acquire one - making those rules ever so important for me to understand.  I don't have to become acquainted with the rules until I need to use them within my life - convenient, huh?  Most of us deal with the rules in life in this manner - if there is not a clear-cut reason for them right now in the "here and now", then they are good to have, but we don't go out of our way to learn them.  Now, in the sense of handgun laws, this may not make much difference today, but if someone were to change the rules, making it possible for anyone to own a handgun without any type of registration of that weapon, would that make a difference to us?  Probably - because now there would be no "regulation" over the weapons sold.  The rules somehow make a difference - even when we are not fully aware of them, don't they? Even when these rules are God's rules, we don't need to know them fully to understand they still apply to us!

I enjoy following your rules as much as others enjoy great riches. (Psalm 119:14 MSG)

Simply put, a rule is something which is in place to govern our actions - it is to be the observed practice in the lives of those under that rule.  Here in my area, the speed limit on the freeways is predominantly 65 miles per hour. There are a few stretches more toward the inner sector of the city which are 55 miles per hour, but for the most part they remain at 65.  Now, how many folks actually slow down when they hit those slower sectors?  Not many!  It is as though the "rule" is a suggestion, not a requirement - UNTIL you see the speed trap with the radar gun ahead!  Then watch the brake lights come on! What is the difference?  As long as no one enforces the rules, we don't think they really matter to us!  Do you know why speed limits are set the way they are?  It is usually because of the flow of traffic in and out of the lanes of that busy part of the freeway - slowing down traffic makes it easier for merging traffic to enter the freeway, but also it makes it safer!

So, we have ascertained that rules are to govern our actions, keep us safe, and may not immediately appear to affect us on the surface, but if not observed, can place both us and those around us in danger.  Perhaps this will give us a different outlook on the rules God establishes for our lives and records for us in scripture.  Maybe we don't know all the reasoning behind those rules, but we can be sure they are there for the reasons we have stated above!  We don't need to know the reason behind each and every "rule", but we should embrace them all with equal enthusiasm because they are both for our protection and our well-being.

Protection is one thing - well-being is another.  Protection is the preservation from harm or injury.  Well-being is what we might call our "state of affairs". As long as we can say our "well-being" is good, we are describing a state of life in which there is perhaps health, good fortune, prosperity, or what some might call "fairing well".  God's "rules" or "commands" are there for both! There is nothing onerous about his "rules" when we begin to think of them this way.  They are there to protect us from harm or injury - this is indeed a desirable state, is it not?  They are there to bring us into places of "fairing well", no matter what the challenges are we might face.  This is indeed a much better state than we could produce on our own, isn't it?

No wonder our psalmist says he follows God's rules like some others might pursue the riches of this world!  He has come to realize there is much more value in living according to the standards God lays out for his life than there is in pursuing the things which don't last.  If we embrace ALL the rules, even those we don't know or think apply to us at this moment, we will indeed "fair well" in this life.  Just sayin!F