Not A Burden
A simple statement can state a profound truth.
At a recent lecture I heard this: “The law is found, not made.” (Matt Kenitzer).
He was communicating that God has left us all the laws we will ever need for our nation (and the world). His law is not just to inform our spiritual lives but He is very detailed in His laws that are a great construction for our everyday lives on earth, today, in time and history. We need not have man-made laws.
It is a command of God that we obey His commandments – but we are also reminded that they are good for us.
For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 1 John 2b-4
Do American Christians have this kind of love for, and faith in, God that we will obey His commands, trusting His promise to bless our obedience?
One of His commands is for us to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls, and minds. The same passage (Mark 12:29-31) says that it is equally important to love our neighbors.
If we take God’s commands in their simplest form, the Ten Commandments of Exodus 20, then we can see that by obeying God’s Laws we are loving our neighbors.
Obeying God’s law means we will not present to our neighbors a false God or blaspheme God’s name, demeaning His character, thereby confusing the truth of who He is. We will honor our parents, a command with a reward attached (that you may live long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you). We will not kill our neighbor or cheat on our spouses, or steal from them or falsely accuse them of crimes. Lastly, we will not covet what they have, wanting them to be rid of their people and possessions so we can have them.
These are definite acts of love. But, God’s law, leading to a shower of love for our neighbors, goes much deeper than this. There is a simple one that sets a standard in Deuteronomy 22:8. In it God protects the family and the guests of the family. It says, “When you build a new house, then you shall make a parapet for your roof, that you may not bring guilt of bloodshed on your household if anyone falls from it.”
When we obey Him and look after the welfare of our neighbors, even our closest ones that live in our homes (a.k.a. family), we are making life here better. Imagine if every wife respected her husband and every husband loved his wife. Family life would be a joy (as I pray yours is!). But, more important than the joy, it frees us from the anxiety and the fears that keep us from serving the Lord and growing His Kingdom.
When disobedience to God’s laws is prevalent, there is no peace and no joy. Our energies are spent on the emotional upheaval in our lives. Too often, we then look for more worldly things to comfort and give us pleasure.
Our jobs, according to Genesis 1:26 – 28, are to “have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” And while we are at it, we’re to “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it…”
God’s laws are not a burden; they are a grace of His given for us to enhance our lives, to make them more abundant, peaceful, and joyful. When we refuse to obey them, when our fear of breaking man’s laws is so much greater than our fear of breaking God’s law, we lose. We face the judgment that we see all around us.
“Taking dominion” implies that we will not just settle our own little homestead where His law rules. It means we are to spread out this great wealth of blessing that comes from following the ways of God over our land. We change the culture by changing hearts, one at a time.
Are we willing to say that abortion is murder. God says, “Thou shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13).
Will we teach the truth of gender? “Male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27).
The list of what needs to be corrected to conform to God’s truth may seem overwhelming in our culture. But it’s as simple as familiarizing ourselves with Scripture. Every Christian needs to know God’s law in order to please Him and obey His mandate to “take dominion.”
In this Advent season, we will soon be reading the words from Isaiah 9, “Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end” (Isaiah 9:7).
Man-made laws have not brought the abundance, joy and peace that obedience to God’s Laws brings. Right now His laws may seem hidden from man – but they are easily found. But, how will they know if no one tells them?