Commandments
It is nice to know that God is with us.
I will place my dwelling in your midst, and I shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and you shall be my people. - Leviticus 26:11-12
We live in the promise of God's grace, and we take refuge in His love.
The Book of Leviticus makes our commitment to God clear. We must keep His commandments, and if we do, only good will come our way.
But if we fail to do what is right in God's eyes, God will make our time on earth a living Hell.
As followers of Jesus, though, we don't really buy into this. We believe God is always with us, even when we turn against Him.
So, does that mean we no longer feel we need to follow His commandments?
Job gave us reason to doubt God's commitment to give us all good when we obey. He showed us that suffering could come to the good as well as the bad.
So, where does that leave us with respect to the Commandments? Do we fear God's wrath if we fail to follow them?
I think we miss the message in Jesus' teaching when we focus on punishment and reward over love and compassion.
God is loving and compassionate, as He would like us to be toward one another. If we act out of love, we will keep His Commandments, because the Commandments guide us to a loving relationship with one another.
Which is easier, to keep the Commandments or to act out of love?
I think for many, it is easier to remember the Commandments. Acting out of love is more complicated, because it requires more thought.
The reward for living rightly with God is evident in the joy it brings.
Will our enemies be vanquished? Will our riches multiply? Will our days be long?
Who knows?
What matters is our lives will be rich in God's love and we will get to know the love of one another.
But that may not be incentive enough for some. So, follow the Commandments out of fear of eternal damnation, then.
Whatever gets us on the right path...
More to come...