"Don't suppose for a minute that I have come to demolish the Scriptures- either God's Law or the Prophets. I'm not here to demolish but to complete. I am going to put it all together, pull it all together in a vast panorama. God's law is more real and lasting than the stars in the sky and the ground at your feet. Long after stars burn out and earth wears out, God's Law will be alive and working."
Matthew 5:17-18
I would like to believe that I am a lawful person. I am pretty much a rule follower... except on the open road. There are a few rules or laws that I stretch a little to fit my needs. Here are two examples:
1. Yellow lights - We learn the meaning of stop lights at a very early age. Green means go, Red means stop, Yellow means sssssllllllooooowwww down. Except when I am in a hurry. Then I add a color that is not seen by the naked eye. That color is Orange. The non visible yet ever present light that appears when i am in a hurry. The orange light allows for grace when you are in a hurry. It goes like this - Green means go, Red means stop, Yellow means hurry up before the light turns red, Orange - the light was in between yellow and red and so was my car.
2. Speed limits - I look at speed limits as a mere suggestion. Everybody knows that there is a five mile above the speed limit cushion before you can get pulled over. Why not live on the edge and go six miles above the speed limit... or seven, or eight. I mean maybe the cushion is different depending on what road you are on.
Now that I have put a huge target on my back... and presented a case for you not to allow me to drive you or your children around... its time to get to the point.
But what is the point?
Laws were kind of a big deal back when Jesus was talking to this crowd of the committed. Before Christ came in the picture the world was full of chaos and many different laws were thrown at everybody to try and restore some sort of sanity. My study Bible pointed out that "God's moral and ceremonial laws were given to help people love God with all of their hearts and minds". The moral and ceremonial laws were the laws that were in place beyond the civil laws. The problem was in the Old Testament days... people tried to stretch the moral and ceremonial laws in order to fit their lives and their own vices. (insert orange light concept here). Instead of people growing closer to God and loving them with their whole heart and mind... the laws became a huge confusing mess and people concentrated on the laws instead of the creator of the laws.
That is where Christ came in.
Christ came to pull it all together!
Christ came to show us that there is a panoramic purpose to God's law.
Sometimes we get bogged down with the politics of life.
We get focused on the rules and not the Ruler.
Then there is chaos.
I am not saying that disobeying or making up your own traffic laws is a great way to go... in fact we are called to obey civil laws as well as God's laws.
But obedience is about focus.
What are you focused on?
God's law and love is everlasting.
Christ was brought onto this earth so we can see things clearly, so he could restore us to sanity.
"God's law is more real and lasting than the stars in the sky and the ground at your feet."
God's everlasting law encourages us to love.
Do we focus on the fact that worship on Sunday morning is boring or too early... or do we focus on that being an opportunity for us to experience and share The Love.
Do we focus on scripture being too complicated or the Bible being too big... or do we focus on the life and direction those words give us?
Do we focus on the fact that some people are too inconvenient to love .. or do we focus on the fact that God is Love and we are to be Christ's heart to others?
Laws are rules.
Rules are hard.
Life is hard.
Christ is life.
Life with Christ is everlasting.
It is not our job to see the bigger picture sometimes.
It is our job to be obedient and faithful knowing that when we chose to love others, when we chose to love Christ, we are choosing something so much more than just obeying a law... we are choosing life.
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