Can we revisit the discussion about obedience and compliance? I missed something important. The difference between obedience and compliance is love. In math terms (yes, I'm a nerd), Obedience = Compliance + Love.
This little revelation made me wonder about the other fruits of the spirit - joy, peace, faith, kindness. In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul says ...but do not have love, then I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. Imagine a loud, obnoxious noise. Cymbals are great - as part of an orchestra. But you don't find many solos. You can comply, not fight, smile a lot, and even hold the door for people. Without love, those acts have no meaning, no substance.
The cymbals enhance an orchestra. They bring something extra to the piece, at just the right moment, as part of a larger whole. Love is that whole. The acts, the things that you do, are crashing cymbals. As part of a symphony, they enhance and bring out the music that is there behind them. By themselves, well, it makes a noise and goes away.
Jesus always focused on our relationship with God. His death, His teaching, His life all centered on His and our relationship. Obedience isn't just doing what's asked - following the rules. It's doing what isn't asked. It's knowing another person so well that you can anticipate their wants and needs, and doing those even before they know it. Do you get that reading a rule book?
Rules are important. They are the starting point of a relationship. Rules set boundaries. And when you're starting a relationship, the rules provides points of discussion. As you bump into the boundaries, you get to know the other person and they get to know you. You work together adjusting boundaries, opening fences, and becoming of one mind.
We've talked before about thinking in pictures. I picture structures. When I learn your rules, I learn about you. As I picture the structure, I can feel like I know you more. The same is true of my relationship with God. He gave me rules in the Bible. And as I talk to Him about them, He teaches me new things about Himself. See, when I love Him, I look at Him, not the rules. The rules become a means to an end.
The author of Hebrews talks about faith - the faith of Abraham, Jacob. Moses, Sarah. Faith = Belief + Love. You can believe in God intellectually. But until you love Him, it's not faith. In Matthew 7, Jesus says not everyone who calls me Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven. How do you turn knowledge into faith? How do you add love to belief? I don't know.
For me, it took an example of love from people who aren't believers to understand God's love for me. That's the thing - we're all different. And God knows You in a way that is more personal than any human being can ever know You. What He promises is that if You look, He will be there. God doesn't hide Himself, playing hard to get. It just takes a lot for us to look past our own fears, our own wants, our own selves. We spend so much effort trying to be the center, that we instinctively pull away from Him as our center. This is the deepest feeling in human beings. The one thing that motivates all of the destructive and evil things we hate about ourselves. The real question is, where do you go from here?
