So this might end up a three in one or a two in one or something to that tune, because in my head, even i cannot differentiate where one theme ends and the next begins, and if they are so unconnected at all to start with.
The ideas that have been on my mind to write about have been Obedience, and keeping your body as a living sacrifice to Him..now see, those two are definitely intertwined, even more so when i realize that at the top of this pyramid is..wait for it...so not cliche, so not expected...ha!..Love. Yup, the very same one Jesus goes on and on and on about. That Love should be the motivation behind Obedience, and should be what leads you to, and keeps you through keeping your body, your life, basically, a living sacrifice to Him..because, you know..you are alive.
About love being your motivation. See: “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14.15); John 14:23 Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.(be prepared, the acutal Bible verses today are plenty :D).
“Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart” (Psalm 119.2).
Now, this does not mean that we should merrily fall into that trap of thinking that it is some sort of traansaction we are carrying out. We do not obey His commandments SO THAT He will bless us. That would be selfish and scheming and missing the point. On this blog i have, several times, addressed the nuance of not worshiping God for any reason other than Love for Him. He sets these rules for OUR benefit..but more on that later. See, you do not worship Him as a means to an end. He IS the end. Every good thing that He chooses to bestow on you is just the manifestation of the promise that follows "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God".
I have the verse somewhere at home, but right now i'll just heavily paraphrase. See, It is of no gain whatsoever to God whether you obey Him or not. It is not going to make Him any less Himself. It grieves Him when we disobey, just like it would grieve anyone who gives us a good thing and we throw it away. It does not mean, however, that anything will be added to or taken away from Him. For us, however, the picture is different. We, unlike Him, face consequences when we disobey Him. We face actual loss, we are stunted in growth and so forth because of disobedience...and no, it's not because He is punishing us to show us who's boss...
The defining factor between legalism and love, then, is that the one who loves, obeys because he wants to please his savior who has judged and pardoned him; the legalist obeys in hopes that he can pay his own penalty.Obedience Out of Love not Legalism
Jul 1st, 2010
by Anthony Delgado.
Arghh i'm so scatterbrained today..anyways...Now, why this should be done out of love, rather than a grudging sense of duty. It's quite simple really...What can you give God? what is it that you can give to the One who owns everything and the box it came in? You can't too much give him a goat or a house or a country because it would be kinda awkward, gifting Him with what is His to give to start with. Which is the very reason why God never asks us for material things. Him asking you to give up something has nothing to do with the material thing itself, but with your obedience, the willingness in your heart to do what He asks. Obedience.
He asks for our hearts. He does not create us such that we are pre-programmed to loveHim. He does not make our default setting "obedient". Nope..Just like in Coming to America, He wants us to come to Love Him. To love Him with understanding of who He is and WHY we love Him. I know for sure that there's nothing more unsatisfying that someone "liking" you because they have been forced to it. Love that is born genuinely, from understanding why exactly it is that you can be loved is the sort of thing people cherish.
In human relationships, for example, it is perfectly clear, but somehow, we fail to extend it to our relationship with God. Immediately perfectly understandable things become very confusing indeed. How many times have you gotten upset at a significant other because they did something that they know you don't like? It could be perectly illogical, but since it matters to us, we let them know, and see it as a sign of love and respect that they desist from doing these things. I've known people to stop cussing, because their girlfriend doesn't like it; to stop partying, because their boyfriends aren't comfortable with it; to stop smoking, drinking etc. The list goes on. The point here is that they do these things out of reverence for the feelings of these people, not because they are standing over their heads with a club. Same reason people don't cheat..because you know it would hurt the other person.
What this boils down to is that you should extend that same love, respect and care to His feelings. We know He frowns upon the things He asks us not to do (out of concern for you sef), so why then, would we deliberately carry on not caring?
Now that we have that theory established, let's take it over to our relationship with God.
2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.1 John 5
His commandments are not burdensome. And even when they seem too much, it's only because we have become used to the prevailing system- not because they are in themselves ridiculous. It is in the context of what we have come to accept as normal that they seem out of place..but that doesn't make them wrong. Even when we feel overwhelmed by the requirements of living a life that pleases Him, He has promised time and time again that not only will He be there to see you through it each step of the way, He is thoroughly delighted to lead and support you. I can testify to this.
And at this point we tie in the living sacrifice bit:
Romans 12:1New International Version (©1984)
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.
Romans 6:13 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.
I think the logic here is really simple, given what i've written already. Loving God, and being aware of the fact that we have nothing to give Him but our hearts, we do so by obeying His word. The one present you can give to Him. A handmade, love filled gift. You :P I dunno bout you, but handmade gifts- cards, cakes, cookies, clothes..speak of love and affection way more than bought things can...
Which is why you should keep the body He has given you, the Life which He has given you in such a way that it honours Him. He created you with love. What sort of behaviour would it be to take that sort of intimate gift and toss it in a corner, rough it about and generally act like it's worth nothing? (kai this should be a separate post...)
Also, Deuteronomy 28:1-13..and further if you're not a lazybones...Obedience...because you love Him, and that's the best way to show it. like, because you LOVE Him...knaamean? eh..will try and expound on that in a subsequent post...
Kai, this ish was long sha...
I am thankful for life
I am thankful for His patience with me
I am thankful for lessons He teaches me
I am thankful for growth
I am thankful for His guidance, His word, His whispers and the discretion He bestows..
I am thankful for His protection, comfort and support
I am thankful for this avalanche of inspiration..i do believe once a week is no longer enough to contain the sheer quantity of things i need to write about.
I am thanful for my family..i am truly blessed to have them
I am thankful for books
I am thankful for His perfect timing...it is perfect.
I am thankful for patience..which is something i'm stil working on..it takes a while for your mind to adjust and be able to even begin to grasp His sense of timing...it's totally not similar to our narrow imaginations of what is appropriate
I am thankful for kindness
I am thankful that He wipes away my tears
I am thankful for all the intense ways in which He makes me smile, and cry in joy and relief when understanding finally gets to me.
I am thankful that He knows exactly how to get to my heart. Ways that even i didn't know existed...
I am thankful ohhhhh! for so many things...buh this post don pass limit as it is...ah...i am thankful for uni, i am thankful for my lecturers, i am thankful for conversations had, i am thankful for thoughts thought, i am thankful for sleep, for waking up each morning, for my devotional times, for His presence...ahhh, you guys should help me and go through what YOU are thankful for today..count your blessings, name them one by one... :D
Stay blessed! and choose to live His way, out of love. His commandments are not burdensome, especially as He will help you and keep them sef :D
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