This is the follow-up to Mike Cala's first post.
If my efforts to become “more” or “better” are useless, is there any reason to try? If my weakness and failures mean nothing in the face of Christ’s love and forgiveness, do I need to strive for anything? The answer may seem a resounding and obvious “Yes!” – but why?
My decisions and actions can do nothing to move me closer or farther away from Christ – He holds me fast. However, my decisions and actions have an immense effect on my moment by moment intimacy with my Lord and Saviour. Let me use the gift of marriage as an explanation.
When a man and women decide to commit themselves to each other for a lifetime, they marry. Once the act of marriage is completed, they are considered "married"– set aside for each other. Neither of them can do anything to become “more” married or “less” married. A couple is either married or they are not. However, each day brings the opportunity for them to make decisions that will either increase or decrease their feelings of love and intimacy. Someone says a harsh word, feelings are hurt – intimacy lessens. Someone ignores helping out the other person – resentment and anger erodes any feelings of closeness. These poor choices don’t make them “less” married however. In contrast, if one of the couple surprises the other with a special meal or a meaningful gift – they are brought closer together with these displays of love and affection, but they are in no manner “more” married.
Now once you are married, you don’t get handed a hundred page “how-to” book detailing all the things you have to do and all those things you can’t do anymore. You love this person you married and you know that certain things will please the other person and make the two of you closer . . . likewise; you know certain things will destroy any intimacy and deeply hurt the other person. So you do those things that will bring closeness and increase love in the relationship.
Now, the comparison of a relationship between two imperfect people is not the same as the relationship between a redeemed child of God and his Lord, but I think it makes the point. If we have given ourselves to Jesus and asked Him to be Lord and Saviour, we don’t suddenly become burdened with a thousand new rules and expectations as to how to be in relationship with Jesus. The gift of the Scriptures lays out a roadmap for how intimacy and closeness can be developed, but it’s not meant to be a rulebook that results in penalizing us if we fail to do everything in it . . . Jesus came to release us from the rule of law and replaced it with His rule of love and sacrifice.
Do we need to have a daily devotional? Yes, but not because it’s something we “need to” or “should” do. We do it because in our love for Him we want to spend time with Him, to learn more of whom He is and how we can make decisions that please Him. Do we need to spend time in prayer? Yes, but not because we’re supposed to pray in the morning when we get up, at mealtimes and before bed. We spend time in prayer because we long to hear His voice and wish to be still in His presence. Do we need to go to church on Sunday? Yes, but not because it’s the right thing to do and everyone else does. It. We gather with fellow believers to hear God’s Word spoken out loud and to worship as the body of Christ. We do all these things and more not out of a fear of breaking the rules or doing wrong, but as acts of love and gifts of ourselves to our Lord Jesus.
Nothing can be done to change our salvation in Jesus, but our moment by moment decisions and actions can diminish or flourish our experience of the extravagant love and grace of Jesus.
