Love vs. Law

This is a topic that God is having me meditate on quite a bit lately. A dictator lays out the law and then uses force to create fear, producing adherence to their will. This is how the world sees relationship. You see it everywhere. The powerful lord it over the less fortunate in oppression until there is finally a revolt.

This is not just seen in corporate context, but also in individual context. We have terms like "alpha male" and "alpha female" for the overbearing in each sex, and "the one who wears the pants" in a relationship. These things are praised in our culture, for we are all equally deceived as to how a relationship should function. It is in this deception that our view of God is also distorted.

Because we have a tainted view of relationships, and do not know or understand true love, we assume that God functions in this same dysfunctional manner. We view the Law of God as something laid down by a cruel dictator, and listen for the cracking of lightening being sent from Heaven to strike those who fail to bend to His will. If God were anything like us, then surely He would squash us like bugs for not bending to His will.

When Jesus came, he brought a whole new idea with Him. Those of us that belong to Him hear His Word, and we obey. We do not obey out of fear, but rather out of relationship. This is the Gospel of the Kingdom. Through KNOWING the love that God has for us, of which He FIRST loved us, we then have a desire to love Him.

When we begin to know God, understanding what He has done for us, and what He desires, we are transformed, and so is every relationship we have a part in. This is why we are a "new creation", we begin to function and be different from how the rest of the world sees things and believes. It is not because we are better rule followers, or because we are better people, but rather because we know love and relationship.

This understanding then transcends everything we do, think, say, and believe. As a parent I am no longer interested in "laying down the law", and making sure my children do what I think they should. Instead, I live out my faith and relationship with God, and I love my children. I focus on the relationship, building something that will last through whatever we may endure in life together, knowing that from that relationship they will have trust in my direction and love for them.

With our spouse, the need for our "right" dissipates, and I am not concerned about who is "wearing the pants". I can serve my wife faithfully, striving to know her and build a relationship with her, because I know that it is that relationship that will hold us together when the challenges of life are difficult.

Love Over Everything. This life is ALL about relationships, and this understanding comes from forming a working relationship with the living God. This should be our focus, and then the fruit of this relationship will pour out into our lives. This is the Gospel. This is what Jesus has done for us. He has opened the gates to Heaven, and no man can close what He has opened. Repent and turn to God that you may be healed.