The Way

The Way
My Journey Into the Community God Intended

Friday, October 9, 2015

Taking Down the 10 Commandments Under the Cover of Darkness

(Original Post 2015)


On October 5, 2015 around 10:30 pm, under the cover of darkness, Oklahoma state employees removed the monument of the 10 commandments from the State capitol building grounds as ordered by a county judge.  This action has caused an uproar in the Christian community.  I wonder if the Christian community would be outraged to know that Christ, Himself, did the exact same thing two thousand years ago?
 
(Photo: Sue Ogrocki, AP) 

Under the cover of darkness (God- imposed darkness in the middle of the day, no less), Jesus died on a roman cross forever removing the LAW as our means to find reconciliation with the FatherYeah, I said it.  JESUS fulfilled the LAW Himself and offered to you and me the reward for keeping the LAW.  The "LAW" was fulfilled in Christ and those of us who are "in Christ" no longer are bound by something that has been fulfilled by He who indwells us. 

God gave us the "law" to live under because in the garden man chose the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  Knowing the difference between right and wrong and punishing wrong is the "law", or as we like to call it today - religion.  If you are in Christ and He is in you then you are no longer under the law but have been given a NEW commandment - "I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another.  By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."”(John 13:34-35) (emphasis added by me).  Christ did NOT carve this command onto a tablet of granite and post it in our front yard for the world to see.  He wrote it on our heart when He set us free from the law after we ate from the Tree of Life (Christ).

Most of my christian life I strove to keep the law out of a sense of trying to measure up to God's standards and ALWAYS failed miserably causing me to feel God was disappointed in me and my efforts to be holy.  NEWS FLASH:  I will never be 'good enough' to earn His love.  Christ died for me while I was still in my sin - not after I got my act together (like I already have - huh?).  He loved me at my worst and all He asks of me is to do the same for those around me - allow Him to love them at their worst - through me. 

All that to say - if YOU want to live under the law trying to keep those ten commands in your life and failing (Jesus says if you break one command you have broken them ALL!) and then trying to force that law down the throats of the unsaved in this world so you can prove to them what miserable failures they are - go ahead.  but know that you are not bringing them to Christ, you are rather driving them farther away.  Maybe try something different for a change - try allowing Christ to express His love to them through you.  That will require a daily trip to the cross for you (Matt 16:24).  The lost will respond to love a lot faster than to being brow-beaten with ten commandments that we cannot even keep! 

This is not a political problem we are experiencing in the U.S. - it is a heart problem and you cannot fix heart problems with the law.

Thursday, April 30, 2015

Finding Jesus in Caleb

(Original Post 2015)

Earlier this week, my daughter and two grandchildren came to Terrell to visit my mother-in-law (her grandmother and the kids great-grandmother). I knew she was coming, but did not know what time, so I called her only to find out she was already there. She told me her time was limited and wanted to spend as much time with Grandma as possible, so I should come over there to see them. I finished up the work I was doing and drove over to Grandma's house, about a mile from my house. Pulling up to the house, I see my 8 yr old grandson, Caleb was sitting on the ground in the driveway - waiting. As I pulled into the driveway, he jumped up and started jumping up and down, excited to see me. Almost before I was out of the car, he leaped into my arms wrapping his arms around my neck and his legs around my waist squeezing as hard as he could. Words cannot describe how this made an old DPa feel (DPa is the name given me by my first grand).


('The Loving Father' by Dottie Zens)

Now, picture Christ waiting in front of His home. He sees you coming and before you even pull in He is running to meet you and as soon as you are accessible He wraps His arms around you, pulling you close for the best hug you will ever receive - not because you did something for Him, not because He is trying to get something from you - just because you came to see Him.

Sound familiar? The story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) mirrors this event in my mind. After realizing his monumental mistakes, the son decides to return home and beg his father for a job to work as a servant. Verse 20 says, "So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him." Forget that he squandered half  of his fathers wealth.  Forget the disrespect he showed his father when he left home.  His father ran and embraced him and kissed him in spite of what he had done.  He met him before he even got out of the car and jumped up throwing his arms around his son's neck and hugged him like there was no tomorrow.

I saw Christ in my grandson Caleb this week and I just wanted to share this with those of you who might read this so you might be looking for Christ in those around you, perhaps in the most unexpected people.  He is there - waiting for you.  And He has a hug waiting...