3 This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world.
So often we think rules are a burden, that they inhibit our freedom, that they keep us from enjoying ourselves. We think that if we could just chuck all the rules, life would be easier. But the opposite is actually the case, if the rules are God’s rules. God’s rules keep us from harm. They provide a safe space in which we can function and live, knowing that God is watching over us. As part of my ministry I work with couples who are in the middle an affair. One or both partners have strayed sexually from their marriage. At the time, each partner thought it would be OK to do what they did. It felt right at the moment, but they missed the long-term perspective that God’s commands provide. They did not understand or take into account the full consequences of their actions. Because they lived in the moment with no thought of the outcome, they now have to work through a much greater pain. If they had listened to God’s rule, they would not be in the mess in which they find themselves. Every one of God’s commands was given to protect us, to keep us from harm. We misunderstand the role of rules in our “me first” culture. Sexual purity makes sense in our world of STDs that can last a lifetime. But those consequences are rarely mentioned in our “condom is the answer” society. I get the picture of kids playing in a pasture surrounded by an electric fence. They have the whole field in which to play, but they end up at the fence, getting shocked. The reason they don’t enjoy the whole field can be traced all the way back to the Garden of Eden. Remember, rule-keeping doesn’t secure our entrance to heaven, nor does it maintain our continued presence there. Obedience to God’s ways demonstrates the condition of our heart. It shows that we want to please God because of all He did for us. We live in a way that pleases God out of gratitude, not out of guilty obligation. We recognize the whole field and enjoy the freedom the field brings, rather than spending our time at the fence getting shocked. God is simply saying “Step away from the fence!” What fence are you consistently getting too close to instead of enjoying the whole field?