Obey in order to share God's love not to earn it.
Why is such a simple concept such a huge paradigm shift? Mainly because we have been so bent to legalism, so bent to righteous living that we've failed to see the point of it. We've gotten it twisted and backwards. God's love was ours from the beginning. It is evidenced in scripture over and over, cover to cover. And our inability to obey is also evidenced over and over. Why can we not get through our thick skulls that His love CAN NOT BE EARNED. Then why bother to obey? Rom 6 tells us that we obey because we love. Shall we be slaves to sin who desires to see us dead or slaves to God who gives life? And by being slaves to righteousness (not righteous living/legalism) we are carrying out the greatest commandment and the great commission, our purposes on this earth. It is so simple yet we constantly complicate it and mar the name of Jesus Christ as we condemn instead of love. For "God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." (John 3:17 ESV) The world is saved through love and sacrifice, not righteous living, judgement, and condemnation. If this was not our purpose then why are we not taken up to be with God when we profess our faith. There is a reason and a mission here on this earth and it is not a test of our ability to obey. We have been trusted with a great responsibility: to be the hands and feet of Christ. I am praying we as Christians stop all this striving and begin abiding in his love so much so that it overflows to all those around us. That all they see in us is Christ, not righteous living, not obedience, just love. "And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing." (1 Corinthians 13:2, 3 ESV). So the question I'm asking myself today and every day is what is my motivation? Why am I doing what I do? Why am I going to work, training my children, cleaning my house, talking with friends? Am I aiming to please men, to earn favor with God, to have a good life? I hope not. I pray that God is changing my heart that I'm motivated only by love, to seek and save the lost and to give glory to the One who laid down His glory for the sake of sinners like me, because he was motivated by one thing: Love.
