From my perspective now, almost exactly five years after the original post, I see that I had the entirely right idea but not the entire idea. Obedience is more than just a part of our expression of abandon to Christ.
Happy Valentine's Day, Lord.
does not cost us anything — it is a delight."
Oswald Chambers (My Utmost for His Highest, January 11)
This puts the Lord's statement "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments" (John 14:15) in perspective. If we look at His statement just as a command, we miss something sweet, deep, and absolutely central to the Christian life. "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments" is also an observation. If we love Him desperately, intimately, exclusively, we will begin to long to be completely obedient to Him. This love and this longing are the Holy Spirit's work in us, both preparing our hearts for our Bridegroom and giving Him the freedom to work out His magnificent will through us. The longing produced by the Spirit is to be obedient to Christ, not to a set of principles. We can never carve out a path of obedience based on what we understand, because His thoughts are immeasurably higher than ours. The Christian life is Christ's life, flowing through us. The only way Christ's life can flow freely is if we love Him with abandon: taking time for an agenda-less spiritual tryst with Him every day; living in praise, obedience, prayer, and trust. Seeking Him, not seeking a stance to take before the world. The stance IS Christ. He Himself is what He wants to reveal to the world through our lives, because He alone can heal its broken heart. |