July 21, 2015
It’s a Full Circle
Psalm 119:30
I have chosen to be faithful; I have determined to live by your regulations.
If one needs help in the faithfulness department, simply obey the rules.
When I think of faithfulness, I think of marriage. The way to remain faithful in marriage is to obey the rules of marriage. Don’t cheat on your spouse. Keeping the rule keeps one faithful. Simple. If one is not determined to obey the rule, why did they bother getting married in the first place?
God chooses for everyone to have a relationship with him (see 2 Peter 3:9), but only some choose to have a relationship with him in return. The ones who do are also determined to obey him too, or why would they bother?
Last Sunday, we studied Romans 7 at church. Verse 6 describes how Believers in Jesus aren’t under the power of The Law anymore... But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.
Before Jesus came, the way people could be “good” was by obeying God’s Laws, don’t covet, don’t lie, don’t commit adultery and such. But all The Law does is allow people to try really hard to not break rules. Then, when Jesus expands on The Ten Commandments in his teaching saying thinking of breaking the rules is breaking them in your heart (Matthew 5:21-22,27-28), we find that we are just trying really hard to obey a list of rules all by ourselves that most likely we will not be successful in achieving and simultaneously trying and have a relationship with God.
But, by believing in Jesus we are given God’s Holy Spirit. We are given a new heart, a place where he can be with us. The Holy Spirit is perfect and has no problem keeping all of God’s Laws, and since he lives in my heart, I can just let him seep out of me. So I get a relationship with God that isn’t based on me trying really hard to keep rules but based simply on letting him live in me.
I have chosen to be faithful; I have determined to live by your regulations... That means, like in my marriage, I choose to be faithful by choosing to keep the rules of the agreement. Coincidentally, that means obeying God’s Word. It’s a full circle; the difference is having the Holy Spirit inside me giving me the ability and the desire to do what pleases him (Philippians 2:13) instead of trying to accomplish obedience all on my own and failing.
Dear God,
Thank you for helping me be obedient by determining to be faithful to you. Thank you for your Holy Spirit living in me giving me the actual power and ability to pull that off. I love you so much and I’m so thankful that you are not hoping I can be really good, but helping me! Thank you for your will and your ways and for your Son, in whose name I pray, amen.
It’s a Full Circle
Psalm 119:30
I have chosen to be faithful; I have determined to live by your regulations.
If one needs help in the faithfulness department, simply obey the rules.
When I think of faithfulness, I think of marriage. The way to remain faithful in marriage is to obey the rules of marriage. Don’t cheat on your spouse. Keeping the rule keeps one faithful. Simple. If one is not determined to obey the rule, why did they bother getting married in the first place?
God chooses for everyone to have a relationship with him (see 2 Peter 3:9), but only some choose to have a relationship with him in return. The ones who do are also determined to obey him too, or why would they bother?
Last Sunday, we studied Romans 7 at church. Verse 6 describes how Believers in Jesus aren’t under the power of The Law anymore... But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.
Before Jesus came, the way people could be “good” was by obeying God’s Laws, don’t covet, don’t lie, don’t commit adultery and such. But all The Law does is allow people to try really hard to not break rules. Then, when Jesus expands on The Ten Commandments in his teaching saying thinking of breaking the rules is breaking them in your heart (Matthew 5:21-22,27-28), we find that we are just trying really hard to obey a list of rules all by ourselves that most likely we will not be successful in achieving and simultaneously trying and have a relationship with God.
But, by believing in Jesus we are given God’s Holy Spirit. We are given a new heart, a place where he can be with us. The Holy Spirit is perfect and has no problem keeping all of God’s Laws, and since he lives in my heart, I can just let him seep out of me. So I get a relationship with God that isn’t based on me trying really hard to keep rules but based simply on letting him live in me.
I have chosen to be faithful; I have determined to live by your regulations... That means, like in my marriage, I choose to be faithful by choosing to keep the rules of the agreement. Coincidentally, that means obeying God’s Word. It’s a full circle; the difference is having the Holy Spirit inside me giving me the ability and the desire to do what pleases him (Philippians 2:13) instead of trying to accomplish obedience all on my own and failing.
Dear God,
Thank you for helping me be obedient by determining to be faithful to you. Thank you for your Holy Spirit living in me giving me the actual power and ability to pull that off. I love you so much and I’m so thankful that you are not hoping I can be really good, but helping me! Thank you for your will and your ways and for your Son, in whose name I pray, amen.
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