Readings for today: Deuteronomy 5-6, Luke 7:11-35, Psalms 68:19-35, Proverbs 11:29-31
Many years ago, I had a lawnmower that went out of alignment. I think it happened when I mowed my yard during the cleanup after a hurricane. I was mulching all the downed branches and leaves when I hit a stump buried in the grass. The blade immediately stuck. The torque wrenched something deep inside the engine. From that moment forward, a shimmy began to develop. It was out of alignment. I did get two more years out of that lawnmower before it literally fell apart on me as I was mowing one day. The shimmy had loosened almost every screw holding the engine together and they all fell out at once.
You and I were made to live for God. We were saved by God. Delivered by God. Chosen by God. He created us. He shaped and formed us in our mother’s wombs. We are fearfully and wonderfully made by God’s own hands. As such, He knows what’s best for us. He knows what leads to human flourishing and fulfillment. He knows what makes us tick and how we can find the deepest satisfaction in life. This is why He tells us, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) It’s why He gives us the Ten Commandments. It’s why He revealed Himself to His people at Horeb and it’s why He still reveals Himself to us today. It’s why He’s so passionate about us teaching His ways to our children and our children’s children. Because God wants them to know what they were made for as well.
Why do you think God gets so angry when we chase after other gods? Why is God so direct with us about true worship? Because God knows at the root of idolatry lies a heart that is out of alignment. And if we choose to live out of alignment with God’s purposes and God’s will for very long, something deep within us will begin to shake. A shimmy will develop that eventually will break loose. Our lives will be disrupted. We will literally fall apart because we are not in sync with our Creator. Over and over again, God promises that those who rebel against Him will eventually fall. Those who refuse to acknowledge Him will eventually be put to shame. Those who challenge His authority will eventually be defeated. God is a jealous God and He will not allow His creatures to live out of alignment with His will.
I know that sounds harsh so let me put it another way. A more relational way. God will not allow the creatures He made in His own image to live out of alignment with His love. You see, His love and His will are the same. There is no difference between the two. The commandments of God are not arbitrary but designed specifically to teach us how to love God and each other. They are the concrete examples of what it means to walk in God’s love. They are not a list of demands you have to fulfill to earn God’s love. They are not a set of steps you have to take in order to gain God’s love. They are the fullest expression of how we live for God. They help align our hearts with God’s heart and the more we find ourselves loving God’s commands, the more we’ll find ourselves walking in God’s love. Where do you need to ask God to align your heart today?
Readings for tomorrow: Deuteronomy 7-8, Luke 7:36-8:3, Psalms 69:1-18, Proverbs 12:1