As a Christian, the goal should always be to emulate our Creator. We can't bring Him down to our level to do that, such as we would our earthly father. When I was a child I would copy my dad in physical things. I copied him in how I walked, laughed, talked, etc. You name it, I tried to be like him. So, what about our Heavenly Father and Creator can we emulate? My thoughts go straight to His character.
In Mark, chapter 11, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders in Jerusalem came to him as He was walking in the temple. They worked hard to try to trap him whenever they could. At this point they publicly questioned His authority and the source of it, but refused to engage in any discussion with Him. So, He began to speak by parables (beginning vs 1 of chapter 12). They perceived He was speaking of their hypocritical and evil ways and sought to 'take hold' of Him, but feared the people surrounding Him. They sent others; some Pharisees – experts in the Law who wanted nothing more than a Messiah who lined up to their own hypocritical interests, and some Herodians – a large political party containing many Sadducees and Scribes, who had adopted Herod as their Messiah, to question Him. The only thing they had in common was the desire to kill Jesus, for he was a threat to each of them. Together they formed a formidable alliance; a force of political and religious power!
However, in verse 28 we see that one of the scribes who was listening closely to the debate recognized that Jesus very calmly and confidently gave a good answer to each hostile party's question, and recognized the truth was spoken by Jesus. He too tested Jesus with a question which would bring out the complete truth as he understood it. He asked which is the most important commandment of all? It seems there was no hesitation or pause on Jesus's part, he immediately quoted from Deuteronomy 6 where He informed the people He brought out of Egypt of the commandments, statutes, and judgments set by the LORD their God which would teach them how they needed to live. Verse 4 addresses the first of all the commandments. “Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like this, Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself (paraphrased from Leviticus chapter 19). There is none other commandment greater than these.”
Surprisingly, this scribe did not bicker with the Lord. He agrees saying, “Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” He references here 1 Samuel 15:22, “...to obey and hearken (referencing the voice of the Lord) is better than sacrifice.” With that statement Jesus told the scribe that he was close to the kingdom of God. Here they have met on common ground, the requirements of God are “...to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statues, which I command thee this day for thy good?”
Among God's commandments are the ten commandments of the Lord which are only for our good, to help us know how to live. Without them we would not be certain if we had sinned and would not be able to ask forgiveness, receive grace and mercy, and live for the glory of our Lord. Because of these commandments, I know what grace is, and because of grace, I know the Lord. It may not always be convenient to keep the Sabbath as God commands, especially when my 'impetuous and impatient self' gets in the way, but I will determine to keep it because He is God and I am not! If I choose to not obey His commandments, I am ignoring what He has set in place for my good.
It is not easy for my human heart to follow what is right and good when Satan is constantly tugging, appealing to my weaknesses. But God's holy spirit is there when I ask for help to do what is right rather than bickering with God because I want to do something else instead and call it good. Righteousness character is something that must be developed and requires free choice and decision on the part of the one who, by God's grace, has repented and received His holy spirit, voluntarily making a full and unconditional surrender to God. Leading with a determination against temptation of self-desire, it is the ability to come to discern the true and right way from the false. When I obey by exercising that determination against temptation and sin, God and I together are able to build and strengthen His gift of righteousness in my character. This is emulating my heavenly Father. When I choose to not obey, I am weakening my righteousness character and rejecting the gift of grace He has given me. As in any gift, it can be accepted or rejected. Whatever I choose to adopt as a lifestyle determines my relationship with the Father for eternity.
留言