It has been a day of necessary but exasperating work, Father. May my mind and heart settle into Your presence as I come before You, thinking of much better and more profitable things. Amen.

Romans 2:1-16 (<<click here to read the passage)

One of our biggest challenges in life is not just saying we understand something but doing what we need to do.

For example, I can ask the kids on my bus if they understand why they have to stay tucked in their seats, and even though they say they understand, if they don’t abide by those rules, or think they don’t apply to them, listening to me go on and on about them will not keep them safe. Obeying the rules is the best chance they have to remain safe on my bus.

If we dutifully sit in our pews and nod our heads in agreement with what our pastors have to say, if we say we understand the importance of abiding by the Word he puts forth but refuse to live out those Biblical directives, or think they apply to someone else but never ourselves, we are not really doing anything different than the kids on the school bus. Hearing the pastor is one thing, obeying what God says we must do is another thing altogether.

The Apostle Paul states in today’s text,

For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight. v13 NLT

Of course, faith is the main component in our coming to salvation, but once that transition takes place – once we are seeking to follow Jesus, loving Him with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength – we must obey what He says we must do. But often that is where we get hung up. We see lists of dos and don’ts and we hesitate – think of the Ten Commandments.

I learned from a TikTok post the other day that in the original Hebrew text those concepts don’t always communicate in the way we think. For example, “You shall not murder.” (Exodus 20:13 NIV). That commandment, in the context of their language and mindset, communicates, “You are not a murderer.” And of course, the others are understood in the same way, “You are not a thief. You are not an adulterer.”, etc.

God didn’t give us a flat list of dos and don’ts but instead, God is speaking into us who we are. He wants us to see ourselves as He sees us. He loves us – absolutely no one loves us more! We are of great worth and value to our Heavenly Father. He wants what is best for us. Like the nation of Israel, God shields us and cares for us; He guards us as the apple of his eye. (Deuteronomy 32:10b)

So, here’s the challenge, follow Him with all of your being, not because you have to, not out of duty, but because He loves you and yearns for your love in return. Amen!

Oct 3rd, 2022, Mon, 12:50 pm