I was recently involved in a discussion about the rich young ruler and I wanted to share some of my thoughts with you for this weeks Reflection. Understand that I am being brutally open and honest with you. It is my prayer that you will see my heart, and not be offended or distracted by the words. I am working harder all the time to be open, honest and transparent with you. - Mike

Obedience 
By Mike Rule

Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" "Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments." "Which ones?" the man inquired. Jesus replied, " 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, 19honor your father and mother, and 'love your neighbor as yourself.' "All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?" Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:16-26)

Here we have a young man who is full of himself, who is not ready to accept that everything he has to offer is as filthy rags to God. This young man's attitude is, "I've done it all!" But Jesus says he hasn't done anywhere near enough! Jesus continually ups the ante with everyone He encounters. That is why the law is a schoolmaster leading us to Christ -- and that is a daily thing -- I would dare say a moment by moment thing -- not a one time event. As Christians, this has NOTHING to do with righteousness, but it does have everything to do with maturity. The spiritual maturation process is a backwards process, because we are growing to become like little children - trusting, and obedient to Him -- a life in which we stand in awe of Daddy.

Pride keeps me from accepting instruction and direction. Imagine if I called a computer tech support line for help with a computer problem, and then spent all my time arguing with the technician about how my computer is fine, and that I don't need any instruction??? Or -- Imagine hearing his instruction, and then refusing to follow through because I do not think it applies to me? Yet, if I will trust, and listen to the tech, and respond to every word that proceeds from his mouth, I can do things I could never do. And it will not be me doing it, but the tech through me. This is not a one time fix, but a moment by moment experience.

Jesus didn't come to give us an excuse to fulfill all our personal hang-ups, He came to free us from being in bondage to them.

That does not mean that I don't have any personal hang-ups (far from it, I have more than my fair share) but there is no condemnation for having them, they do not separate me from God. But by the same token, that does not excuse them. Rather it frees me to be honest about them. It frees me to share the blessed hope I have of experiencing the freedom I already have IN Christ at a very practical level.

For example, it is written that husbands are to love their wives. I'll be honest, there are days where I do NOT want to love my wife. I want to live, and I end up killing her in the process. Yet He calls me to die so she can live... I believe the delusion (i.e. the lust of the flesh) that tells me "To hell with her, do your own thing..." I know it is wrong to live that way. Christ's life is NOT that way, and He is MY life. But I cannot change that thing in me. But there is another law at work in me, warring against the lusts of the flesh - the Law of Liberty, which is my true condition.. And as depressed as I may get about the ways I act at times, I do not have to take up with that despair and frustration, I can cling to Christ both in desperate need and in thankful rest. I think this is the process we all go through to discover that HE is clinging to us. I can let go, and relax in His grip and be open to His leading moment by moment.

Today I woke up with this prayer on my heart - "Jesus, today is too big a day for Mike, if you don't show up I am in BIG trouble. Today I am NOT going to love my wife. I am not going to be faithful to her, be attentive to her needs, or give a damn about anyone but me. You are my life, and I need you to affect a change in me that will spill out in the ways I relate to everyone around me. Thank you for the rest I have in you. I will trust you to do what is best, even if it does not look like I think it should. Amen.

I will likely blow it in huge ways before the day is over, but I always have hope... and there is no condemnation. I can rest no matter what I do, and I am free. I do not have to beat myself up, I can continue to work out my salvation with fear and trembling -- or tears and fumblings.

Coming to Jesus is not just a one time event where I get fixed. It is receiving a LIFE. The power to fulfill God's instruction comes through Christ's life -- we don't have to understand, we don't have to agree, all He asks is that we trust and believe. As we respond to His leading, we accomplish things we could never do... and it will not be us doing, it, it will be Christ through us. Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds (present tense) from the mouth of the Lord.

1 John 5:2&3 says "By this we know we love the chldren of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, And His commandments are not burdensome."

His commands are only a burden when I think they are what I have to do to be acceptable to God. In fact, when I believe this mindset, I cannot even look at the law, or talk about it because it is the stench of death. But when I see the commands of God for what they are, I can gaze into them to get a true picture of who I am!

Obedience is the greatest gift God has given us, but when I refuse I am only stealing from me. It does not separate me from Him, or offend Him. It is simply me stealing a greater blessing and joy for the sake of a temporary pleasure. The Rich Young Ruler really refused to be obedient. And The only one he stole from was Himself. He lost out on the joy of intimacy with Jesus, and we can speculate all day about what might have eventually happened, but the fact is the scripture does not tell us the rest of the story. The rest of the story is up to us to write, personally, in our daily lives.

Verses For Reflection

But become doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man studying his natural face in a mirror. For he studied himself and went his way, and immediately he forgot what he was like. But whoever looks into the perfect Law of liberty and continues in it, he is not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work. This one shall be blessed in his doing. If anyone thinks to be religious among you, yet does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is vain. (Jam 1:22-26 MKJV)

Stand fast therefore in the liberty with which Christ has made us free, and do not again be held with the yoke of bondage. Behold, I, Paul, say to you that if you are circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do all the Law, you who are justified by Law are deprived of all effect from Christ; you fell from grace. For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness out of faith. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any strength, but faith working through love. (Gal 5:1-6 MKJV)

For, brothers, you were called to liberty. Only do not use the liberty for an opening to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the Law is fulfilled in one word, even in this, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Gal 5:13-14 MKJV)

Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. (Gal 3:24 KJVR)