My eleven year old granddaughter, Hannah, comes running to Melanie this past weekend:
Hannah: Grandmommy, Jeremy just choked me!
Melanie: He choked you?
Hannah: Yes, look at the red mark on my neck!
Melanie: Go tell Jeremy to come here.
Melanie: Jeremy, did you choke Hannah?
Jeremy: Shakes his head yes with a guilty expression on his face.
Melanie: Jeremy, you can't choke your sister.
Jeremy: I can't go to jail until I'm thirteen.
Melanie: Jeremy, nobody has said anything about going to jail. You don't choke your sister because you love her! Do you love Hannah?
Jeremy: Shakes his head yes again.
Melanie: Do you think there's anything you want to tell her?
Jeremy: I'm sorry.
Melanie: That's a good idea.
Jeremy goes into the other room and apologizes.
Yep, that's my daughter's children! Jeremy really is a sweet boy. No, really. I'll admit though that his train seriously jumped the track with that incident.
It's noteworthy that the first response that popped into his seven year old head was about the law and jail. The little legalist - takes after his dad's side of the family.
I'm kidding, of course, but the issue here is that it is the bent of the flesh to think in legalistic terms. Would it be wrong to do this or that? Would I be punished for doing it?
We miss the point altogether. It's not about right versus wrong or about punishment. The catalyst for our lives is to be love. When our lifestyle is grounded in our union with Triune Love, we live from that benchmark, not a set of rules that come with a corresponding set of rewards and punishment. We act lovingly because Love is our DNA. In Him we live (and love) and move and exist.
So, when your own behavior jumps track at times, don't look upward to an imaginary Judge of the Universe who stands ready to send you to jail. Look into the face of Pure Love and you'll find yourself wanting to behave well on the basis of His attitude and actions toward you.
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Like a kid who 'jumps the train tracks' we respond to His affirming and accepting! Who He is is in our eyes, 'adjusting' so we can see clearer! Biblically we get rid of false concepts of God. It's now our nature to see the Mr. Grace on top with our new Nature putting on the New Self. It's created in true righteousness and holiness of the truth. The confession of sin is brought healing much greater than we ever thought than under Mr. Law.
ReplyDeleteThank you Steve, as we sit here in he waiting room watching Keishah's struggle to recover from being hit by a drunk driver...I needed to be reminded of this.
ReplyDeleteTina
Thank you Steve, as we sit here in the waiting room watching Keishah struggling to recover after being hit by a drunk driver...I needed to hear this.
ReplyDeleteTina
Loving God, and loving others is what the Law is really all about. Right?
ReplyDeleteI find the motivation to love God and love others is much greater under grace. Under grace God is loving and laughing. Law is there to provide the 'knitting' for the purity of love as we review 613 of those intact laws But God has spoken in these last days through His Son, Acould not be justified by Moses,) Hebrews 1:1,2 The Son having made payment for sins sat down. There is no more displeasure from God, no more commotion on earth but restin His Presence Romans 5:1-3. Law shows us something of an unattainable standard being the perfect essence of God's Holy standard but praise God, He Himself provides the ring up to the standard, through the Son, for favor unmerited by faith in Christ Romans 8:3,4. The power is not there to keep the law except 'in Christ' and Christ IS the power, the attaining fulfillment of all 613 OT laws. Paul said, "the Gospel is power," "to everyone who beleiveth, "Romans 1:16,17. Luke said, ""But you shall receive power after the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and..." Acts 1:8. Power to choose to live a godly life is saved by Christ and knowing you can choose life or death because "whom the Son sets free is free indeed." The work is the believe on Him, Christ Jesus. Spend time with Him and you won't 'jump the train tracks,' so easily if you know He better.
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