AN UNEXPECTED ADVENTURE
John's idea was intriguing, and the
cause was inspiring. But I was a little overwhelmed at first. What if I
chose to give to the wrong people or for the wrong reasons? How much
should I give to each situation? How would I figure out which cases were
legitimate and which ones weren't? It felt like a lot of pressure, and I
was nervous. But over time, it got easier and it got to be fun. Each
day as I prepared to leave the house, I put my wallet in one back pocket
and John's checkbook in the other. I started to feel like santa claus
every day of the year, wondering who God wanted to help with John's
money. It turned into an exciting adventure.
Three thing
happened in my life as a result of this deal, and all of them had major
impact. First, rarely a day went by that I didn't think about John
Saville. Whenever I encountered someone in need-a young girl dealing
with an unplanned pregnancy and preparing for a baby, or a family at
church whose funds had completely run dry-I had to try to see through
John's eyes. I was constantly asking myself, "What would John do in this
situation? How would he spend his money here?
John and I had
known each other for over a year because of our roles at church, but our
paths only crossed once a week at church. I had rarely spent time
thinking about John-until our deal. Then I found myself thinking about
him multiple times a day, wondering how he would feel about certain
situations and how he would respond to them. Over the next few months, I
felt a lot closer to him than I ever had.
The second thing that
happened was that I quickly learned how to balance a checkbook. I had
never been particularly careful about my own. In fact, when I first got
married, my idea of balancing a check book was to have a pretty close
estimate of what the bank said I had. I didn't have much, so that wasn't
really a problem. My wife had to explain that coming up with a sum that
was within $20 or $30 of the bank's figures wasn't good enough. But
that was with my money. Now that I was handling John's money, I had to
be ready for him to ask me how things were going. I would have to give
an account. There was no way I could face him if I had gotten a couple
hundred dollars off track over time. I leaned how to be faithful pretty
quickly.
Third, John and I became great friends. He never made
me feel like his errand boy. Every few months, he would invite me into
Dallas for lunch-and not the kind of lunch I was used to. This was no
fast-food combo meal or daily special at the local diner. This was
celebration.
So I would meet John at his office, and we would
take the elevator up to the top floor of his skyscraper where you could
see all of Dallas while you ate. The restaurant staff would greet him by
name and give us menus with no prices on them. Waiters with white
towels over their arms would come take our order and meet every need
down to the tiniest details. And John would prompt me to indulge: "The
filet is great here. Want to try it-and maybe some lobster with it?" He
would remind me that God had been good to him and that he wanted to give
me the best lunch possible. We were there to celebrate. So three or
four times a year, John would buy me an extravagant meal and I would
tell him extravagant storied how God had used his money.
After
we got through talking about the pregnant teenagers and unemployed
families and unpaid medical bills and down-and-outers who needed a
helping hand-story after story after story-John would utter an
uncomfortably loud "praise the Lord" and then, with a twinkle in his
eyes, say, "Let's do it again!" And he would fill up the discretionary
account with some more funds and we'd state the cycle all over again. It
was one the wildest experiences I've ever had.
Do you see what
happened? This "deal" or partnership, as he put it, caused me to get to
know John, learn his perspective, and gain unique insight about how he
wanted me to spend his money. It caused me to become very faithful and
accountable in what he had entrusted to me. And it caused this old godly
man and young energetic pastor who had little in common to become best
friends as we celebrated the fruits of our efforts.
I'm sure you
see the spiritual correlation by now. This is a pretty powerful picture
of our relationship with God and the way we manage His resources. Why
did I start thinking about John all the time? Because I had a
responsibility to act in his interests-just as God invites us to
represent Him in this world. Why did I become faithful? Because it was
his money-just as we become faithful stewards of the resources God
entrust to us. Why did John and I become such good friends? Because we
got together to celebrate-just as God enjoys celebrating with us over
the fruit He bears through us when we partner with Him to love those in
need.
Saturday, December 5, 2015
Why It’s Genius to be Generous by Chip Ingram2
JOHN SAVILLE AND THE SECRET PACT
I met John in the first church I pastored in rural Texas. I was a young, inexperienced pastor with a lot of zeal and not much wisdom. John, by contrast, was an elderly man who came to Christ late in life and had suffered some pretty hard knocks along the way. We had absolutely nothing in common except that he was the chairman of the elders and I was the new pastor of this not-so-thriving church of 35 people in a town of 3,500.
To be candid, I thought John was a little kooky at first. He had simple answers for my “complex” questions; he quoted Galatians 2:20 or Oswald Chambers as the answer to almost everything. On top of that, he said “praise the Lord” a lot, which was very uncool in my mind. And he drove a Cadillac which caused me to question his spiritual maturity. I mean, how can you really love God and have nice stuff? That didn’t make sense to me.
John wasn’t up on sports, pop culture, or church growth. I was in my late 20’s, and he was in his mid 70’s. There was absolutely no reason for John and I to see each other except for a once a month elders meeting, let alone become best friends-apart from the genius of generosity.
One day John asked me to drive into Dallas to have lunch with him at the downtown accounting firm he owned. He told me to wear a tie because the restaurant required it. I’ll never forget how intimidated I was as I traveled up the glass building’s elevator to his wood-paneled reception area. My middle-class roots were being deeply challenged as we dined on the top floor overlooking all of Dallas. It was a world I had never experienced, and John seemed particularly thrilled to treat me to the best he could offer in insist that I get the filet-”best steak around,” he assure me.
Toward the end of lunch, this grand old man pulled a small white box from his coat pocket and told me he had a proposition that he wanted me to consider. He called it a business deal of sorts. Not a business deal to make money, but a business deal to give it away. I will never forget John’s three-point outline as he laid out what he called our “Secret “Pact”:
1. I have a desire to help poor and hurting people.
2. You are in contact with poor and hurting people daily.
3. I want you to be my eyes and ears and help them as God leads you.
With that, John reached into the box, pulled out a brown checkbook, and handed it to me. As I opened it, I say the word “pastor’s discretionary fund” neatly printed on the front. The deposit ledger in the back had a five and three zeros neatly printed in the far right column. I looked up at this loving, kooky man and said, “Do you mean you want me to figure out who to help and then help them the way you would if you saw the situation, Mr. Saville?”
John smiled and said, “That’s exactly what I want you to do Chip!”
Five thousand dollars, five thousand dollars...My head was swimming as I repeated that number over and over riding down the elevator to get in my old non-air-conditioned car in the 98 degree Dallas summer heat. John had sworn me to secrecy, and thus began a series of divine lessons that only later would I recognize as the genius of generosity.
I met John in the first church I pastored in rural Texas. I was a young, inexperienced pastor with a lot of zeal and not much wisdom. John, by contrast, was an elderly man who came to Christ late in life and had suffered some pretty hard knocks along the way. We had absolutely nothing in common except that he was the chairman of the elders and I was the new pastor of this not-so-thriving church of 35 people in a town of 3,500.
To be candid, I thought John was a little kooky at first. He had simple answers for my “complex” questions; he quoted Galatians 2:20 or Oswald Chambers as the answer to almost everything. On top of that, he said “praise the Lord” a lot, which was very uncool in my mind. And he drove a Cadillac which caused me to question his spiritual maturity. I mean, how can you really love God and have nice stuff? That didn’t make sense to me.
John wasn’t up on sports, pop culture, or church growth. I was in my late 20’s, and he was in his mid 70’s. There was absolutely no reason for John and I to see each other except for a once a month elders meeting, let alone become best friends-apart from the genius of generosity.
One day John asked me to drive into Dallas to have lunch with him at the downtown accounting firm he owned. He told me to wear a tie because the restaurant required it. I’ll never forget how intimidated I was as I traveled up the glass building’s elevator to his wood-paneled reception area. My middle-class roots were being deeply challenged as we dined on the top floor overlooking all of Dallas. It was a world I had never experienced, and John seemed particularly thrilled to treat me to the best he could offer in insist that I get the filet-”best steak around,” he assure me.
Toward the end of lunch, this grand old man pulled a small white box from his coat pocket and told me he had a proposition that he wanted me to consider. He called it a business deal of sorts. Not a business deal to make money, but a business deal to give it away. I will never forget John’s three-point outline as he laid out what he called our “Secret “Pact”:
1. I have a desire to help poor and hurting people.
2. You are in contact with poor and hurting people daily.
3. I want you to be my eyes and ears and help them as God leads you.
With that, John reached into the box, pulled out a brown checkbook, and handed it to me. As I opened it, I say the word “pastor’s discretionary fund” neatly printed on the front. The deposit ledger in the back had a five and three zeros neatly printed in the far right column. I looked up at this loving, kooky man and said, “Do you mean you want me to figure out who to help and then help them the way you would if you saw the situation, Mr. Saville?”
John smiled and said, “That’s exactly what I want you to do Chip!”
Five thousand dollars, five thousand dollars...My head was swimming as I repeated that number over and over riding down the elevator to get in my old non-air-conditioned car in the 98 degree Dallas summer heat. John had sworn me to secrecy, and thus began a series of divine lessons that only later would I recognize as the genius of generosity.
Why It’s Genius to be Generous by Chip Ingram
I'm not sure
where I got the idea, but until mid-20's, I thought generosity was
something reserved for people who were either very rich or very holy.
Growing up in a middle class family in central Ohio, I knew I was
neither.
Now don't get me wrong. I knew that being selfish was completely unacceptable. But generosity in my young mind was reserved for another day-like when I win the lottery or make it to the major leagues or own my own business. Sharing, kindness, being fair, and appearing relatively generous were all values I embraced and sought to practice, but genuine, open-handed, even lavish generosity was something for the rich and the ultra-virtuous.
Now don't get me wrong. I knew that being selfish was completely unacceptable. But generosity in my young mind was reserved for another day-like when I win the lottery or make it to the major leagues or own my own business. Sharing, kindness, being fair, and appearing relatively generous were all values I embraced and sought to practice, but genuine, open-handed, even lavish generosity was something for the rich and the ultra-virtuous.
In my mind, generosity required a lot of things I knew I didn't have,
like a big bank account and an even bigger heart for God and others.
Generosity seemed like a characteristic you might try to develop someday
when the chips fall your way and you have some extra to spread around.
It was like Christianity's grad school. Besides, I was having a pretty
hard time just making ends meet. I thought of the Christian life as a
bit like being in the military in those days. I joined the army of God
to fulfill a mission as day by day I sought to follow Christ.
To me, generosity was reserved for "the few, the proud, the Marines." It might be a great thing to aspire to, but certainly not something within the grasp of a very ordinary Christ-follower like myself.
But that all changed when I met a man names John Saville.
I would learn then that generosity has little or nothing to do with how much money you have or how far along you perceive yourself to be on your spiritual journey. In fact, I was shocked to learn that bring generous has much more to do with being smart, shrewd, wise, and deliriously happy. In a word, I discovered that generosity is GENIUS!
To me, generosity was reserved for "the few, the proud, the Marines." It might be a great thing to aspire to, but certainly not something within the grasp of a very ordinary Christ-follower like myself.
But that all changed when I met a man names John Saville.
I would learn then that generosity has little or nothing to do with how much money you have or how far along you perceive yourself to be on your spiritual journey. In fact, I was shocked to learn that bring generous has much more to do with being smart, shrewd, wise, and deliriously happy. In a word, I discovered that generosity is GENIUS!
Friday, January 23, 2015
Trusting in the Rock
In May 2003, a heavy fog covered the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When the dense haze lifted, residents were shocked to see that The Old Man of the Mountain had disappeared. The 40-foot-tall natural outcropping of granite ledges had looked like the profile of an old man. This natural wonder inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne's famous story, "The Great Stone Face," over 200 years ago. Its image graced New Hampshire license plates, quarters and tourist souvenirs. As the official state emblem, The Old Man of the Mountain had endured for centuries. But then the 700-ton face fell. New Hampshire's governor said : "This rugged yet beautiful monument fir the character of the pioneers who founded this state, the immigrants who built it, and the spirit of those who live here today. It was the ultimate symbol of those who would 'Live Free or Die.' "
Sometimes, like New Hampshire's state symbol, those things we trust disappear. They fade away in the night with one sudden phone call or car ride or decision. Perhaps we knew, deep down, that the person would not weather the storm, but we decided to believe it was timeless anyway. When we carry many responsibilities-children, a marriage, a job, parents, a home-we often come to trust ourselves as well. Who else will keep things going? we wonder. So we hold on tightly to keep everything together, to stay in control.
God's desire is the opposite of our human inclination. He wants us to release our tight-fisted control. He wants us to give him the control of everything in our lives. The widow who gave two small copped coins showed her trust in God to provide for her, even if her every material possession was gone. The crowd who went before her gave a lot, but in proportion to what they owned, they gave but little. They were holding back. This faithful woman "put in everything-all she had to live on" (verse 44).
God wants you to place everything in his hands, not because he wants you to be empty, but because he wants to fill you to overflowing. Of all the things we look to for stability and permanence, he is the only true Rock who will never fall or fade away.
-Women's Devotional Bible
{Deuteronomy 32:3-4}
{Psalm 62:1-12}
Sometimes, like New Hampshire's state symbol, those things we trust disappear. They fade away in the night with one sudden phone call or car ride or decision. Perhaps we knew, deep down, that the person would not weather the storm, but we decided to believe it was timeless anyway. When we carry many responsibilities-children, a marriage, a job, parents, a home-we often come to trust ourselves as well. Who else will keep things going? we wonder. So we hold on tightly to keep everything together, to stay in control.
God's desire is the opposite of our human inclination. He wants us to release our tight-fisted control. He wants us to give him the control of everything in our lives. The widow who gave two small copped coins showed her trust in God to provide for her, even if her every material possession was gone. The crowd who went before her gave a lot, but in proportion to what they owned, they gave but little. They were holding back. This faithful woman "put in everything-all she had to live on" (verse 44).
God wants you to place everything in his hands, not because he wants you to be empty, but because he wants to fill you to overflowing. Of all the things we look to for stability and permanence, he is the only true Rock who will never fall or fade away.
-Women's Devotional Bible
{Deuteronomy 32:3-4}
3 I will proclaim the name of the Lord;
how glorious is our God!
4 He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect.
Everything he does is just and fair.
He is a faithful God who does no wrong;
how just and upright he is!
{Psalm 62:1-12}
1 I wait quietly before God,
for my victory comes from him.
2 He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress where I will never be shaken.
3 So many enemies against one man—
all of them trying to kill me.
To them I’m just a broken-down wall
or a tottering fence.
4 They plan to topple me from my high position.
They delight in telling lies about me.
They praise me to my face
but curse me in their hearts.
5 Let all that I am wait quietly before God,
for my hope is in him.
6 He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress where I will not be shaken.
7 My victory and honor come from God alone.
He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.
8 O my people, trust in him at all times.
Pour out your heart to him,
for God is our refuge.
9 Common people are as worthless as a puff of wind,
and the powerful are not what they appear to be.
If you weigh them on the scales,
together they are lighter than a breath of air.
10 Don’t make your living by extortion
or put your hope in stealing.
And if your wealth increases,
don’t make it the center of your life.
11 God has spoken plainly,
and I have heard it many times:
Power, O God, belongs to you;
12 unfailing love, O Lord, is yours.
Surely you repay all people
according to what they have done.
{95:1-11}
1 Come, let us sing to the Lord!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come to him with thanksgiving.
Let us sing psalms of praise to him.
3 For the Lord is a great God,
a great King above all gods.
4 He holds in his hands the depths of the earth
and the mightiest mountains.
5 The sea belongs to him, for he made it.
His hands formed the dry land, too.
6 Come, let us worship and bow down.
Let us kneel before the Lord our maker,
7 for he is our God.
We are the people he watches over,
the flock under his care.
If only you would listen to his voice today!
8 The Lord says, “Don’t harden your hearts as Israel did at Meribah,
as they did at Massah in the wilderness.
9 For there your ancestors tested and tried my patience,
even though they saw everything I did.
10 For forty years I was angry with them, and I said,
‘They are a people whose hearts turn away from me.
They refuse to do what I tell them.’
11 So in my anger I took an oath:
‘They will never enter my place of rest.’”
{Mark 12:41-42}
41 Jesus
sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the
crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts.
42 Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins.
{1 Timothy 6:17-19}
17 Teach
those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in
their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who
richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.
18 Tell
them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works
and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others.
19 By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
God Is Distant
I can't admit this to many people, but I feel very far away from God these days. I've noticed this for the past few months. It's almost like I'm in a wilderness of some kind, alone. I've had a lot of setbacks lately, which have caused me to feel a little depressed. When I pray (and I've had a hard time praying recently), it feels as if God isn't listening. I can't sense his presence in my life at all anymore.
At church, I feel as if I'm just going through the motions. When I was asked to pray at the missions council meeting, I wanted to say no. But I prayed anyway. I felt as if I was just mouthing the wods-not really feeling or believing them.
I feel abandoned by God. I thought he promised never to leave or forsake me. But that's how I feel now-forsaken.
One of our pastors said that if you're not learning from God, then maybe you have unconfessed sin in your life. I was so angry when I heard that. Why is God's silence all my fault? I'm not used to this. It's not like I'm a new Christian. I've been a believer for over 25 years.
Just a few months ago, I was on top of the world. Many of my prayers were answered with a responding yes. I felt so close to the Lord. Now I wonder what went wrong.
-Charity
Can you relate to Charity's story? Elijah could. He went through a time when God seemed distant.
What's ironic is that Elijah's time of struggle came right after his (literal) mountaintop experience, a tremendous show of God's power that enabled Elijah to single-handedly defeat the 450 prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (see 1 Kings 18). After that awesome display, the wicked Queen Jezebel threatened to kill Elijah by the next day (see 1 Kings 19:1-2). In the wake of Elijah's unshakable confidence on Mount Carmel, the fear and depression he felt right after that seem shocking. But Elijah knew all too well that Jezebel wasn't one to make idle threats. So the exhausted prophet ran for his life.
A lull after a spiritual high is often the time when the enemy moves in for an attack. In a dark night of the soul, like depression, the believer's focus can turn from praise to thoughts of Where is God?
Does God seem distant to you? Every relationship experiences an ebb and flow of feelings. A relationship with God is no exception. What can you do during those time?
At church, I feel as if I'm just going through the motions. When I was asked to pray at the missions council meeting, I wanted to say no. But I prayed anyway. I felt as if I was just mouthing the wods-not really feeling or believing them.
I feel abandoned by God. I thought he promised never to leave or forsake me. But that's how I feel now-forsaken.
One of our pastors said that if you're not learning from God, then maybe you have unconfessed sin in your life. I was so angry when I heard that. Why is God's silence all my fault? I'm not used to this. It's not like I'm a new Christian. I've been a believer for over 25 years.
Just a few months ago, I was on top of the world. Many of my prayers were answered with a responding yes. I felt so close to the Lord. Now I wonder what went wrong.
-Charity
Can you relate to Charity's story? Elijah could. He went through a time when God seemed distant.
What's ironic is that Elijah's time of struggle came right after his (literal) mountaintop experience, a tremendous show of God's power that enabled Elijah to single-handedly defeat the 450 prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (see 1 Kings 18). After that awesome display, the wicked Queen Jezebel threatened to kill Elijah by the next day (see 1 Kings 19:1-2). In the wake of Elijah's unshakable confidence on Mount Carmel, the fear and depression he felt right after that seem shocking. But Elijah knew all too well that Jezebel wasn't one to make idle threats. So the exhausted prophet ran for his life.
A lull after a spiritual high is often the time when the enemy moves in for an attack. In a dark night of the soul, like depression, the believer's focus can turn from praise to thoughts of Where is God?
Does God seem distant to you? Every relationship experiences an ebb and flow of feelings. A relationship with God is no exception. What can you do during those time?
- Keep spending time with God, even when you don't feel like it. In a marriage, the partners may not always feel close, but they keep making time for each other for the sake of their marriage. Your relationship with God is like a marriage. Spending time with him is necessary for the health of your relationship and your spiritual health. Jesus used the illustration of staying attached to the vine. "Remain in me, as I also remain in you" (John 15:4). Eventually the feelings will return.
- When God seems silent, you have to trust him. Sometimes God seems silent in order to stretch your faith in him. Are you willing to trust and wait on his answers, even when his time frame may be much different than yours?
- Examine your heart. Sometimes (not always) it's a hidden sin that has come between you and God (see Isaiah 59:1-2). If God seem far away, examine your heart. Do you have any hidden or unconfessed sin that might be blocking your relationship with God?
- Believe that God has not moved. God is where he said he'd be-with you. Meditate on verses that assure you of this truth (see Hebrews 13:5-6).
- Talk with other believers. You aren't the only one who has been in a wilderness. Talk with other believers. Let their experiences encourage you during this time.
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Snatched From Danger
"She's choking!" Juli's precious little girl could not breathe, so with stealth-like maneuvering, Juli pulled her from the high chair and retrieved the goldfish cracker lodged in her throat. for the first 11 months of life, this child had only known gentleness from her mother, but that day's crises called for swift action.
Sometimes the Lord treats us the same way. He rescues us from danger, yet we see it as the most painful even of our lives! The Israelites felt that way at time. They often forgot that God saved them from the bondage of slavery. All they saw was the difficulty of the rescue.
Have you ever broken down and cried until there were no more tears? Have you ever wondered why this tragedy is happening to you? I have. Have you ever questioned whether God really cares about your circumstances? Me too.
I look back on my life and see moments that seemed devastating. It was only later I discovered they were actually life-giving. God was rescuing me, but it was hard at the time.
The trial you are facing today is not too big for God to handle. As a matter of fact, being the loving parent that he is, he may be rescuing you from harm. Believe him...trust him...love him despite your circumstances. Someday you will look back on this time and see that he was there all along.
{Exodus 18:10}
“Praise the Lord,” Jethro said, “for he has rescued you from the Egyptians and from Pharaoh. Yes, he has rescued Israel from the powerful hand of Egypt!
{Judges 6:8}
The Lord sent a prophet to the Israelites. He said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of slavery in Egypt.
{2 Timothy 4:18}
Yes, and the Lord will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely into his heavenly Kingdom. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.
{James 1:2-4}
Sometimes the Lord treats us the same way. He rescues us from danger, yet we see it as the most painful even of our lives! The Israelites felt that way at time. They often forgot that God saved them from the bondage of slavery. All they saw was the difficulty of the rescue.
Have you ever broken down and cried until there were no more tears? Have you ever wondered why this tragedy is happening to you? I have. Have you ever questioned whether God really cares about your circumstances? Me too.
I look back on my life and see moments that seemed devastating. It was only later I discovered they were actually life-giving. God was rescuing me, but it was hard at the time.
The trial you are facing today is not too big for God to handle. As a matter of fact, being the loving parent that he is, he may be rescuing you from harm. Believe him...trust him...love him despite your circumstances. Someday you will look back on this time and see that he was there all along.
{Exodus 18:10}
“Praise the Lord,” Jethro said, “for he has rescued you from the Egyptians and from Pharaoh. Yes, he has rescued Israel from the powerful hand of Egypt!
{Judges 6:8}
The Lord sent a prophet to the Israelites. He said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of slavery in Egypt.
{2 Timothy 4:18}
Yes, and the Lord will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely into his heavenly Kingdom. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.
{James 1:2-4}
2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.
3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.
4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
Obey His Commands
Why do we think God's rules are designed to strip all the fun out of life? Perhaps for the same reason that kids think their parents' job is to make their lives miserable.
We don't think of ourselves as children, but from God's perspective, that's exactly what we are (see John 1:12). Why is an indignant attitude toward God's commands childish?
God wants us to respond to him with obedience, but not out of a sense of duty, resentment or compliance (see Isaiah 29:13). Not because he is a cosmic control freak. And not because keeping rules can earn his approval. God wants us to obey him for the love of him (see 1 John 5:3).
Once we move from rule-keeping to a relationship with God based on love, we'll see his commands in a different light.
"God's will is what you would choose for your own life, if you had sense enough to choose it."
-Anonymous
{Deuteronomy 28:2}
You will experience all these blessings if you obey the Lord your God.
{Matthew 11:30}
For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
{John 14:15}
“If you love me, obey my commandments."
{Hebrews 12:10-11}
We don't think of ourselves as children, but from God's perspective, that's exactly what we are (see John 1:12). Why is an indignant attitude toward God's commands childish?
- We see what look like fun-temptation has a beautiful face-but God sees the misery it would bring us.
- We don't fully trust God. We suspect that he's holding out on us.
- When God draws the line, we manipulate and stretch the rules to place a single toe over it.
- We think God is trying to rein us in from experiencing all of life when in reality he is lovingly protecting us from dangers we're not smart enough to avoid.
God wants us to respond to him with obedience, but not out of a sense of duty, resentment or compliance (see Isaiah 29:13). Not because he is a cosmic control freak. And not because keeping rules can earn his approval. God wants us to obey him for the love of him (see 1 John 5:3).
Once we move from rule-keeping to a relationship with God based on love, we'll see his commands in a different light.
"God's will is what you would choose for your own life, if you had sense enough to choose it."
-Anonymous
{Deuteronomy 28:2}
You will experience all these blessings if you obey the Lord your God.
{Matthew 11:30}
For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
{John 14:15}
“If you love me, obey my commandments."
{Hebrews 12:10-11}
10 For
our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they
knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might
share in his holiness.
11 No
discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But
afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who
are trained in this way.
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