Amen! This is one of my favorite passages in the Bible, because it may be the only time in church I’ve ever been told to just relax.
So often we get so caught up in the rules set forth by God that we forget why He gave them to us in the first place. God gives us rules and commandments because we, as children of God, need structure. We are flawed, and the rules give society cohesion and grace in place of our natural inclination towards selfishness and discord. Think back to the days when the Kosher laws were strictly enforced: they were there to make sure that God’s people led clean lives (literally) and wouldn’t get diseases. But as sanitation improved, they were no longer necessary so we can now eat shrimp and pork (thank goodness!)
Reflect on your attitude towards Lent and what you hope to gain from this season. Is it structure, or discipline? Great! Of course we need those in our walk with God. But if the rules set forth in church are there in your life as a hollow way to ignore the deeper, more challenging aspects of your faith, get rid of them now.
CS Lewis defines “joy” as those rare, special moments when we feel closer to God. It’s when something on Earth-a pretty view, a book, your best friend-somehow sparks something new in you, and you see God reflected in His creation. I’ve felt moments of “joy”, as I’m sure you have. What did they feel like? For me, they felt very freeing, and liberating-the exact opposite of the rigid, cold rule-following that Jesus warns us against here.
PRAYER:
Dear God, thank you for Your rules and what they mean for us. Please help us to follow them every day, and Thy will be done. Amen.
Written by Jay Morgan
Written by Jay Morgan
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