New Notions
For those of you who think of God
As only Judge and Juror
I hope you know, you can think of God
As also Love and Fervor.
For those of you who think of rules
As only limitation
I hope you know, you can think of rules
As also liberation.
For those of you who think of death
As a final sorrow
I hope you know, you can think of death
As also a new tomorrow
For those of you who have these notions,
I hope you see the point–
Jesus offers and desires a life of devotion,
And He will never disappoint.
Recently, God has been teaching me a lot about how His character impacts everything. Since He is equally Just and Loving, His rules are for our good. He commands us to love Him and love others.
A lot of times, it’s easy to think that obeying God prevents us from doing what we want to do. For example, I would enjoy watching TV all the time. However, if I watch TV all the time, I miss out on opportunities to love God and others. It is hard to stop watching TV, but obeying God brings so much more joy and contentment.
The best part is that God gives us grace too. Since we are human, we will always mess up. Yet, God sent Jesus so we could have eternal life with Him and know Him despite how we disobey Him.
Christianity isn’t about a set of rules. It’s about the Just and Loving God who made them. It is about the God who frees us from death and gives us a life full of joy in obeying Him because of who He is and what He has done for us.
Love these thoughts and reflections! Love the poem especially. Thank you for sharing these!
Yes, God is so much more than we can imagine at one time. The juxtaposition of His Holiness, His Mercy, His Love, and His Judgment can be hard to wrap our minds around. It is so easy to focus on one characteristic at a time rather than the sum of all of them at once! Even so, I’m enjoying spending some time focusing on Him as My Rock…Isaiah 26:4: “Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.”
Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cMcsS2nOII
Sophie, you are so right in what you wrote! True freedom comes from having a relationship with God through Jesus. Fullness of life can only really begin then. Praying for you as you continue to prepare your heart for the mission God has called you to.