1 Corinthians 7:19 “Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but what matters is the keeping of the commandments of God.”

IT’S INTERNAL

So many religions focus on the external, what you have to do to be holy.  You have to do this or do that.  You have to look this way and not eat this food.  Paul, who knew all about law keeping, makes it clear that it is NOT about what we can or can’t do.

Don’t forget the fact that this is Paul, the former Pharisee, speaking here.  He was a law abiding Jew before he came face to face with the Lord on the Damascus road.  Paul was confident in his abilities to keep the law and wanted to force everyone else to do the same.  Christ showed him different and then sent him to preach to the very people he had despised.

TEACHING MOMENT

I bet you have rules for your children to follow.  Am I right?  Most of us have house rules.  There is NOTHING wrong with rules.  However, don’t forget that rules are designed to teach, not control.  If your children grow up thinking that rules are their dictator, they will rebel.  If they understand that rules are meant to teach them to be obedient to authority (parents, teachers, bosses, etc), they will appreciate the boundaries they have.

Today, all over the world, we see the two extremes.  On the one hand, young people are rebelling against any kind of authority.  They do not want to be told how to do anything.  They think they should be able to do whatever whenever with whomever they wish.  On the other hand, we have a radical following of Islam that demands obedience or death.  Neither are the answer.

Mom and Dad, be firm with your children as you enforce the rules, but teach them WHY there are rules.  Your children need to know the why behind the what or it doesn’t matter how many rules you have.

Speaking of rules, how many did you break today?  Driving over the speed limit, taking that pen from work, or telling that little “white lie” are all examples of how we stretch things.  We MUST be the model for our children in keeping the rules that are set before us, not to be legalistic, but to be obedient.

The Law Giver demands obedience also.  But He wants us to obey out of love, not fear.  Obey Him today.  Allow Him to teach you through obeying Him.