Why do you do it? Why are you a Christian?
I don't mow the yard because my dad tells me to. Don't get me wrong, he does usually have to tell me, but it isn't because of this that I do it. I do it because he is pointing something out that needs to be done. In other words: I don't mow the lawn to mow the lawn. I mow the lawn because the grass needs to be cut!
I don't follow Jesus because the bible tells me so.
I don't preach to and love on people in poor areas because the bible tells me so.
For me to do things because the bible tells me so is for me to idolize it over the one who came up with it.
Please don't misunderstand me. People do on this topic, and the most recent case led the injury of a sweet girl's heart who didn't deserve it. I believe that the bible is a holy book. It has led me to the one who is the giver of life. I am simply pointing out that the bible is a tool that he loves to use. Not the other way around. The bible helps us find life. Life is in it, but life isn't it.
For us to just obey is so far from what I believe God really desires. He has rules and guidelines and things like this for a reason. They are very important in protecting us from things in the dark. As a child I was not aloud to watch certain shows that ALL of my friends were aloud to watch. I obeyed, but I hated it and often found myself pointing( an act my mom tried to break me of. It's rude to point- everyone knows that) at my mom when she was looking the other way. It wasn't until recently that I looked back and saw very clearly that my mother made these rules for good reason. Now, I do believe that I and you must obey the writings with an attitude like a child; that is trusting that the deity is doing more than excersizing power by protecting us from what we have not seen.
Jesus is light. Living in the dark is hard, for monsters lurk and we don't even know it. We hear them breathing and every now and then we see them eat our friends up, but then they quickly vanish back into the abyss. When Jesus showed up, this changed. He is the light and we are the lanterns. Light exposes what was once unseen.
It is through the exposure to people who are full grown and were aloud to watch certain programs as a kid that I saw why I was not aloud to. This has made my intimacy for my mother increase. Not that we have a conditional relationship, but that the conditions that I have built are slowly eroding as truth, light, and reason, manifesting themselves in love, pour down like water to melt away the hopeless stacks of clay.
It is through obedience that I have found love. It is through love that I will now obey.
What I am saying is this: Obedience for the sake of obedience is like dry humping. It kind of feels good, or something, but really it doesn't accomplish anything, and when it's over, both parties realize that they want more than they did in the first place.
God wants us to know him. Does your ministry lead you to him or does your relationship with him lead you into minisisty?! I used to hug people and smile at them because I knew that Christians should be happy or something. I do think that God used this, but it was so empty. Now I am much closer, but still far from, having a sexual ministry instead of all this foolish dry humping.
I used to preach the word because I was excited about it and because I liked to hear myself talk. I'm not going to act like these two things don't still play a part, but at least I'm working on it! Now I preach because I know this God who I don't deserve to know. When I spend time around him I can't help but want to die if it means that more people could meet him. I want to give up what ever it takes for you to get to know him.
The bible tells me to do this, but if I do this because the bible says so, where's the intimacy? The bible is a mere arrow, pointing at the God who we worship. For us to look at the arrow and study its features instead of the object it is pointing at is defeating the purpose of the arrow. I should obey and then be brought to light and in this look back on my obedience and see why it is I was obeying. The laws are written so we might know him. Jesus died with relationship in mind. He died that we may live with him. For us to mow the yard just to mow the yard is for us to obey the bible that we may be better than those who don't. There's so much more to it than that!
In the last year of living at home my dad never told me to mow the lawn.[Citation needed] I got it done every time. [Citation Needed] It wasn't because I realized that once a week the lawn should be mowed. This played a part in it, but the production that this truth was acting in was far greater than the minor role it played. I learned to clearly see what it was that needed to be done. It was through my father's love and teaching that I was able to see what it was he desired. It was when I could see what he desired that I was most effective in fulfilling his desires. It was because of my love for him that I tried to meet these desires. Jesus said that we are his friends and not his servants. The difference is that friends know of their master's affairs, servants blindly obey in ignorance.(I twisted it a bit, please go read the other interpretation that is different from the original.)
John 15:9-17
In the first year of being away from home I have gotten to hold the poor in these arms that are not my own. My tears have mixed with the tears of a woman who is in a darker place than I knew existed. I have watched as a boy destined for slavery grabbed onto life and freedom through the love of Jesus Christ. I have looked deeper into people's eyes than anyone should ever get to look. I haven't gotten to do these things because I felt like I should. I have gotten to do these things because the God that I am desperately trying to obey has revealed himself to me and through this made it very clear to me that these rules lead to relationships. He has made it very clear to me that loving people goes way deeper than the rules do. I am privileged and blessed by this God and I can't help but offer him all that I have, for all I have to offer is what he has given me.
Please try and know God. This is the purpose of life. The purpose of life isn't success and it isn't being the the best at following the rules. The pharisees did that and what Jesus thinks about it is pretty clear. Relationship with the father leads us into relationship with his people. Ministry should be an other word for relationship. But it has become something far from it.
