A Heart to Obey

 

1 My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands;

2 For length of days and long life And peace they will add to you.

     Proverbs 3:1-2 (NKJV)

 

In these verses, we’re told not to forget God’s word but to keep it in our hearts.  It’s easy to forget something that’s just in our minds.  Things don't stay in my mind very long, so I write notes to myself and I still forget. But once something is in our hearts, there is a deepness that is not easily forgotten.

 

Obedience should come from our hearts--not just external but from an internal desire to please God. I’m reminded of a story about a disobedient youngster whose mother made him sit in the corner and he told her he was sitting on the outside but standing up on the inside.  We may smile at that story of childhood, but sometimes we are guilty of going through the motions of obedience without having the right attitude or motive.

 

We are promised that we will have peace when we practice that kind of obedience to God. I remember being a rebellious teenager, thinking it would be great to do what I wanted even if it went against what I was told. Yet the way of the transgressor is hard (Prov. 13:15), and I sure learned that going my own way led me on a turbulent course.  To know true peace we must obey.  

 

God’s ways are always best and we are blessed when we walk in them. But God doesn't force obedience upon us.  Instead we're urged to "let your heart keep my commands" (Prov. 3:1, NKJV).  It's a choice we have.  Will you make the choice today and let your heart obey God's word?

The Bank of Jesus Christ

I look up to the mountains—
    does my help come from there?
My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth!

He will not let you stumble;
    the one who watches over you will not slumber.
Indeed, he who watches over Israel
    never slumbers or sleeps.

The Lord himself watches over you!
    The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.
The sun will not harm you by day,
    nor the moon at night.

The Lord keeps you from all harm
    and watches over your life.
The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,
    both now and forever.  Psalm 121

 

Good people always put more into you than they expect back.  I’m not saying to ask to borrow $20 from them with the expectation to not pay it back.  In fact, I’d argue perhaps you might pay it back with interest much like the parable of talents (see Matthew 25:14-30).  However, these individuals see more in you than at times you see in yourself.  My wife saw something in me when I was ready to give up on school, and she pushed me through when I had little strength.  I liken it to the analogy of a bank.  She invested me believing I could be someone special.  It was more about me than her, and for that, I am forever grateful to her.

Most people invest in others with the expectation of a return.  However, it is not like one expects a direct payback.  Instead, they expect the return on investment to be the joy of seeing you fulfilling your potential.  Those are the people you want to not only surround yourself with but also be like.  Why?  Because like Jesus, they give freely and unconditionally.  Not with strings attached or expectation.  Furthermore, what if you have people in your life fail to support your vision and dreams and yet are in constant need of yours?  As a pastor asked, “Why are you expecting a return from friend who has insufficient funds?” 

We must be willing to put into our relationships the love that God puts into us.  Those who need someone in their corner to believe in them must trust in God to provide for them.  My initial thought about my wife is I might be too reliant on her and how much she invested in me.  That I might fall into a trap that she became ‘God’ to me.  However, the more accurate picture is as David pointed out in the 121^st Psalm God is watching over me so much so that He put her in my life even when I did not know I would need her.  Note the difference is I am not reliant on Loretta for strength.  I am reliant on God for strength for when I am weak, He in His infinite wisdom put someone in my life to build me up.  God worked through her to help me, and she is not God.  She is a constant reminder of just how amazing God is!

Additionally, as followers of Christ we are committed to be people who invest in others.  We can be counted on to give of ourselves toward others as Christ gave to us.  If we look to our relationships based on what we can get, we just are doing relationships wrong.  This is not to say we may need to end a relationship (see 'Toxic Relationships').  But a healthy relationship with Christ means we give all to Him not because of the price He paid on the cross.  We do so simply because we love Him so much!  In the Book of James, it says, “So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.” (James 2:17)  Our love for God produces those good deeds that we ‘invest’ in others, which in turn produces good deeds from them they too will invest in others.  In the bank analogy, this is like the Law of Compound Interest, but it grows God’s Kingdom.  Not our personal account.

We serve a God of abundance.  He gives us love, grace, and protection.  If we are to truly grow in our faith, we must give those very things to others for they are gifts to be shared from God.  It is true that we must invest wisely in giving those things, but if we invest, we gain far more than lose.  Let us remember that God invests in us, and then, give freely and wisely to others with the hope they too will invest like we invested in them.  Who invested into you mentally and spiritually that you can give thanks to today?  How can you focus on being more reliant on God for your strength?  Who will you invest those gifts God gave you in?  My prayer is that we are continually investing in the Bank of Jesus Christ.  Amen. 

In working with young people, I love the questions they ask. Some are simply the most insightful stuff I have heard. Some of the questions are repeats of stuff I've studied before, and the review is really helpful. And some questions are those asked by just about every student of Scripture at some point.

It was one of those necessary questions asked by every student that came up yesterday. She referred to Colossians 1:26, where Paul refers to a "mystery", hidden from the ages and generations, but now revealed. "What mystery?" It's a great question because Paul uses that term fairly inconsistently.

The context of Paul's statement is this:

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my physical body—for the sake of his body, the church—what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ. I became a servant of the church according to the stewardship from God—given to me for you—in order to complete the word of God, that is, the mystery that has been kept hidden from ages and generations, but has now been revealed to his saints. God wanted to make known to them the glorious riches of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim him by instructing and teaching all people with all wisdom so that we may present every person mature in Christ. Toward this goal I also labor, struggling according to his power that powerfully works in me.

Colossians 1:24-29 NET (emphasis mine)

So, if you do a search of Paul's use of "mystery" in his writings, you find that he does use it in several letters. When you examine each instance, it quickly becomes clear that he doesn't use it to refer to the same thing, or at least not precisely the same thing. It always has to do with salvation through Jesus, but there seems to be some element which is "mysterious".

Here, in Colossians, the mystery seems to be "Christ in you, the hope of glory", at least according to the NET translation. Most modern translations have something very similar, but there is a possible connection to Gentiles. It seems that this "mystery" is Christ in Gentiles, that they have a hope of glory.

So, while everyone expects Jews to have this hope of glory, that the Messiah would come for them, that Jesus affects salvation for Gentiles is supposed to surprise everyone. Context is important here. Paul's letter to the Galatian churches seeks to correct, rather roughly, erroneous teaching that the Gentiles had to follow the Jewish law to be saved.

Considering this, it makes a lot of sense that Paul would refer to the salvation through faith in Jesus as a mystery. It clearly was to some people, namely those teaching this false doctrine of "circumcision for salvation".

What about Jesus saving His human creatures is a mystery to you? It's a weird question, like "what don't you know?", but it is worth spending some time considering. For instance, are there people you functionally consider beyond the reach of Jesus? Allow me to be more pointed, who, in your community, are you intentionally leaving out of your community of faith?

Before you let yourself off the hook, think through who attends, who is among you weekly, who serve in worship, who help with various elements of the worship service, teach or participate in groups. And then, consider who do not attend weekly, who are not serving, participating, or leading. And then, why are they not? What would it take for them to consider themselves a part of your community?

You see, this isn't as easy as it sounds. We blow right passed this reference to "mystery" without considering that, like these "Judiasers" were creating barriers for Gentiles, we also create barriers for people. How should they dress, how should they look, speak, laugh, where should they live, what should they drive, or how often should they bathe?

I'm really struggling with this because I'm in a class challenging me to address poverty through relationships. I'm being challenged to view myself as impoverished, just as much, if not more, than those I seek to help. I'm being challenged to consider the attitude with which I minister, and I'm painfully aware that pride and arrogance, so much a part of our culture, pollutes my own service to my King.

So, let's clarify the mystery of why we are such mopes, flailing about, trying to serve those who have so much to offer us, as if we have nothing to learn from them. Jesus wants to purify us as much as cleanse them. He seeks our hearts as He seeks theirs. So, let's set ourselves up to learn, relationally, from those with fewer material goods, as we share with them the riches of the grace we have found in Jesus.