Law

We’ve all got a choice to make, and in not choosing you’re still choosing.

We’ve all got a purpose, a calling to heed. If we think God needs us we’re wrong, but He wants us. Oh does He want us!

There is always this thing we’re trying to do that I’m convinced drives God batty. Compromise.

No matter how you spin it; God detests it. Just look at Jehoshaphat.

Jehoshaphat had to choose what his relationship with evil King Ahab would be. And we’ve all got to choose what our relationship with the world will be.

Like a lot of Christians, Jehoshaphat chose compromise. We can say what we want, but it boils down to being easier. Living a life all in, can leave you feeling left out.

Maybe his motive was political or maybe social. Maybe he justified it as a righteous thing to restore Israel. Maybe he even hoped to reunite Israel and Judah.

We commonly sacrifice truth and righteousness for the sake of being “socially appropriate”.

Whatever his or our justification for the choice of compromise, it doesn’t fly with God.

It doesn’t appear that this relationship between righteous Jehoshaphat and evil Ahab developed overnight. No, it was one compromise after another. Let’s be friends. How about my daughter marry your son? Come to dinner. Next thing you know this social call has him in front of 400 false prophets who are telling him to go to war with the evil King.

Sure. Jehoshaphat asks to see a real prophet of the Lord, but he doesn’t listen to him, and goes on to war battling for the evil kings cause.

This left Jehoshaphat in a very dangerous situation. I can think of times in my life like that. Maybe not literally surrounded by false prophets, but I’ve found myself way out of the will of God, far from the calling on my life, and wondered how I ever got this far.

If the idea of marrying his child into King Ahab and evil Queen Jezebel’s family didn’t give him pause I’d say being encircled by an army with bows drawn who had mistaken him for the evil King would.

31 As soon as the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “It is the king of Israel.” So they turned to fight against him. And Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him; God drew them away from him. 32 For as soon as the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. 2 Chronicles 18:31-32

We can serve God narrowly. We can mostly obey, usually listen, generally do Gods will. The narrow sliver that you reserved may be the narrow escape with your life. It was for Jehosaphat. Who wants a narrow kinda life?

Before we get to thinking being a Christian is opressive. Let’s recall the beginning of the story:

Therefore the LORD established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor. His heart was courageous in the ways of the LORD. And furthermore, he took the high places and the Asherim out of Judah. 2 Chronicles 17:5-6

This isn’t just an Old Testament story that is now made void by Jesus and his teachings of love and acceptance. Lets jump forward. WAYYY forward; to the last book of the Bible. The end of the story. The final say:

20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. Revelation 2:20

I don’t know about you, but I feel like I am so busy trying to contradict the belief that Christians are hateful and intolerant, trying to be “socially appropriate”, that I have compromised. We can not be hateful, but we must not compromise truth and righteousness. It’s a slow fade.

Motherhood has taught me a lot, like: dry erase markers wont come off vinyl, colic is deadly…to the parents, mouse traps are nearly worthless unless you want to catch a little boy and boys like repetition. Why else would he get caught in the mouse trap two times, and why else would he get his head stuck in the potty ring three times?

On this day I learned from these two anointed men speaking scripture, church and vision in my living room. Mark said, “They received law under Moses, but they received the Promise Land under Joshua.” My husband helped me to study in beauty school so much that I am sure he could pass State Boards. I however, only recall learning that Joshua or Yesua in Hebrew was a common form of the name Jesus from Josh’s time in college. Joshua (Jesus) gets you to the Promise Land. Not Moses, not Law. Jesus.

We’ve all done it if only mentally. Tried, convicted, and sentenced by the law we were given to live by not to judge by.

Ann Voskamp said, “When the world is selling goods dressed up as love while the church is selling law dressed up as good news—guess where the next generation starts lining up.”

A client turned friend told me in the salon how she wasn’t able to count on her parents for food, water and shelter let alone love, security and affirmation. She says her mom spent time in hospitals and it hurts to hear people talk about crazy or loony people (I rethink how carelessly I say crazy). Her dad kicked her out at 15 and she moved in with her now husband.

In the mirror I see her reflection, one part shame one part defense. She says, “I know that’s sin; to live with a man and not be married.” As if I’m ready to throw that stone. No. Thank. You.

She calls us who keep the Sabbath holy “church people”. She knows just enough about church people to know she doesn’t want any part of church.

I told her what the whole body of Christ should be proclaiming, “Yes. That’s sin, and there is a lot of church people who would cast that stone, but I am a Christian and I am just going to love you.”

Are we really teaching Law, and rules and a Christ that’s merely a way to heaven? Is He no more than a tool? When did Heaven rather than relationship with God become the prize? When did Hell reather than separation from our creator become the punishment? We should be afraid when eternal heat is more scary than eternal separation.

This all sounds good right? What about when things get personal? What about when someone you love sins against you? Can I still choose love when I am forced from theory to practical application? What about when it becomes personal, painful, punishable? I mean I would have every right! Right? Oh don’t think I didn’t clutch the stone! And I would be right—but what about righteous? What good and holy would come from throwing a stone? Only loss of relationship and more disguising the law as love.

Designed to commune with God in the garden but choosing to wonder around clutching stone tablets that cant save us from Hell.

We are following Moses around a dessert when it’s Yesua—Jesus who gets you to the Promise Land.

Billy Graham said, “It is the Holy Spirit’s job to convict, God’s job to judge, and my job to love.” I say we are so busy being church people and doing God’s job that we don’t have time to do our own.

Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Romans 13:10

A Relentless Surrender

Loving Without Compramise

Caution: Falling Rocks

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