Simple Faith

The other day I sat down to have coffee with a friend. She is a new believer and she had many questions about God, the Bible, and how to live as God calls us to live. This precious friend had been struggling with one issue. It is the same issue I believe most get hung up on when first coming into a relationship with Christ Jesus. Some move beyond it, finding the issue is actually not an issue at all. Others get stuck in it and live their Christian lives chained in what we call legalism.

You see, my friend desires to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord. However, as she read through the Scriptures she was overwhelmed by all that God wants His children to do and not to do. Confused she asked me, "Don't you find being a Christian to be very hard?"

"What do you mean?" I questioned.

"You know," she continued, "there are so many rules. I have to do some things. I can't do other things, and there is so much I must give up!"

Oh, the old snare of Satan trying to convince the believer that Christianity is about rules and regulations. "Get 'em frustrated with a long list of impossible quests," he muses. "That will render them ineffective."

I smiled. I understood. For so long I tried to follow the List. I tried my hardest to avoid all the obvious sins - smoking, drinking, sexual sin. I struggled even more trying not to do certain, less obvious things - thinking rudely of others, being prideful, being selfish. I couldn't do it. I would stumble. Then I would beat myself up for my failure to be a good Christian.

Finally, God made it clear to me. My relationship with Him isn't about keeping to the List. Yes, He wants me to live a holy life and to avoid sin. However, I had it backwards. I was trying to do, say, and be all the right things through my own power. And as we all know, we don't have the power on our own to live righteously.

I thought through my answer and responded to my friend. "Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was. People wanted to know how they could live to please God." I smiled at her for I knew the answer would lift a great weight from her shoulders. "Jesus simply replied, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind....And love others as yourself." (Matthew 22:37-39) Simple, yet so complex.

God operates much differently than we do. He says relationships first, lists second. As we focus our energy on loving God in return for His great love for us, we naturally want to do what will please Him. We begin to understand that we aren't "giving up" anything. We are gaining an amazingly beautiful, eternal love for the Savior. We are gaining joy, peace, wisdom, and hope. We are gaining knowing the God of the universe, the Great Lover of Our Souls. We are gaining forgiveness. Christianity is never about the giving up. It is about Who we are gaining as we grow in our relationship with Him.

The next time you become overwhelmed with the List, remind yourself to simply focus on loving God. Open your Bible and read His love letter to you. Open your mouth and praise Him for His great love for you. Open your heart and hear his gentle whisper as He sings to your soul. Love Him, the list will then be satisfied as you live in intimate relationship with Him.