God Nuggets Blog

"No need for Christ to die"?! Surely we don't mean to dismiss the cross and the grace of God when we succumb to rule-keeping and following our shoulds and oughts rather than the Spirit of God. But this is what it says:

No one will ever be made right with God by obeying [rules]. ... Rather, I am a sinner if I rebuild the old system of [rules] I already tore down. For when I tried to [follow all the rules, I felt condemned]. So ... I stopped trying to [do everything I should do] so that I might live for God ... by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ... If keeping [rules] could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die. (Galatians 2:16-21)

A law, a rule, or a should is anything burdensome that comes from without. By that I mean it feels like a heavy weight pressing on the shoulders. An obligation. But God's commands are not burdensome because they come from within. (1 John 5:3; 2 Corinthians 3:3) God's direction is like a pressure coming from the inside out. It is something God wants to do through us.

Do not think you can gain more of God's favor or love by fulfilling more obligations. You already have both in fullness through Christ. The only purpose of the law is to convince us of our inadequacy and need for God. (Galatians 3:23-25) Once we know Christ intimately, we are free to throw out our checklists and live by the Spirit. (Colossians 2:14; Romans 7:6) Let's cast off the training wheels of the law and dare to live for God!



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God doesn't want a religious checklist from you, He wants a love affair! He wants to commune with you throughout the day. It is not less holy to brush your teeth, change a dirty diaper, or give a presentation at work than it is to pray. The blood of Jesus makes every part of your life holy, and He wants to be a part of it all.

Now, don't get me wrong. Prayer is important. Intercession is important. Prayerlessness is sin! But if your quiet time has degenerated into an obligatory list of drudgery-filled tasks. Give it up for a while. Allow your soul to respond to the wooing of the Holy Spirit. Get greedy for God. Experience him in an afternoon cup of coffee, a walk in nature, or a nap. Hear his voice at every crossroad. Look for Him all around you for He is there! Feel His presence envelop you. Rest.

I just don't see Jesus in the Bible waking up every morning an hour before the disciples to go through scrolls of Scripture and His list of the probably thousands of people who had asked Him for prayer. From time to time, He would go to lonely, quiet places in nature and commune with His Papa-- sometimes in preference to sleep! That is passion. Jeremiah had it. He said to God, "When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God Almighty" (Jeremiah 15:16 emphasis mine).

Passion is what God wants from us, and a legalistic, dogmatic quiet time can ruin it. Putting ourselves under a set of rules and obligatory "shoulds" actually arouses the sinful nature! (Romans 6:5 b NIV). "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, an do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. ... For in Christ neither [a quiet time] nor [a missed quiet time] has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love" (Galatians 5:1-6 NIV [my words in brackets]).

Blessings,

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