a beautiful mess

“GOD is love, so he can never respond in a way that is contrary to love.” – Brian Wade

“Thou shalt not…” – GOD

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the last two months, for me, have been thematically defined by three or four areas of meditation and conversation: forgiveness, advent, priests-and-prophets, and covenant.

basically. i just want to isolate this idea of covenant and share a simple thought connected to freedom, love, and what is commonly referred to as the ten commandments. also, this journal piece emerges now as a direct confirmation from ruach hakodesh (the holy spirit-wind-breath) through this morning’s message from our teacher in our local community: you know, it was one of those deals where i had been wanting to journal for a few weeks, but nothing ever came together, and then this morning – it was like a rush of blood in my veins, a resonating “amen!” erupted and i was like – dude, i have to write the deal about the ten commandments. haha. so, thanks brian (and GREAT message this morning.)

alright, so, suffice it to say, most people do not equate the ten commandments with words such as freedom, love, life, covenant, or grace. sadly, many followers of yeshua, myself often included, forget the resounding declaration, “GOD IS LOVE.” (1 john 4.8, 16). yes. even GOD throughout the first covenant is love!

there is no such thing as “the god of the old covenant and the god of the new covenant.” after all, it is in the s’hema that we boldly profess, “the LORD is our God, the LORD is one.” there is but one god. and he is love.

we may not understand the ways in which he works, but he is love.

we may not remember that he did not invite brokenness into the world, but he is love.

we might not respond in the same ways he did or does, but he is love.

to paraphrase a portion of brian‘s message this morning: [the very god of the old covenant became a human in the new covenant: and so it would stand to reason that we would get to see what this god is really like...and guess, what? he is love.]

[selah]

which brings me to this whole idea of “Thou Shalt Nots”. we must believe, and when we doubt, we must convince ourselves, that they were born out of an absolutely beautiful-mysterious-loving covenant between GOD and his people. GOD made covenant with his people – to deliver them from slavery: to free them of oppression: to breathe life where death reigned.

and the decalogue (the ten words) is at it’s most profound and simplest form: a response. not strictly and only the response of GOD, but of the people! it’s the response of children toward their loving parents. it’s the response of rescued people toward their heroic savior! it’s the response of fallen humanity toward the creator-GOD who lifts them up! it was their way of saying, “YES! we thank you, we adore you, we trust you.”

the ten commandments are part of the covenant and they are a natural response of trust, grace, and love.

it’s GOD reaching down and saying, i have rescued you, like i said i would and like my name declares; now trust me on this one, if you want to live life to the fullest, here are some life-giving boundaries you will need as you grow in me.

[selah]

like. for starters, you are not to have any gods before me. because i am a jealous god and i want you all to myself.

also. it’s really not all that life-giving if you meet someone and within a few minutes, they’re dead! so, don’t murder each other.

and the list goes on – but it’s a list filled with only life and love. peace and rest. trust and grace.

it’s written by the same god who will later breathe upon men to write, “it is for freedom that christ has set you free.”

the same god. YHWH. this is why it makes sense when yeshua (GOD in the flesh) is found teaching one of his disciples,

“Philip said, “Lord [yeshua], show us the Father [GOD almighty] and that will be enough for us.” Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?  Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.”

yes. the same god. the god of the first covenant, now appearing to make a second covenant and the question really isn’t, “is GOD love?” – he is and we’ve seen that. the question becomes, “what is our response to this god-who-is-love?” will we, the children of the second covenant, respond in obedience? will we trust that his ways are the ‘most excellent’ as paul writes? will we offer up our lives as living sacrifices? will we give up everything to be a part of something that is bigger than anything?

essentially, will we be brave? i don’t know. i hope so. i want to be. i am trying. “but what if i stumble, what if i fall?” (nice little d.c. talk quote).

it is not the falling down that will suck the life and love out of our souls, it is the abrupt quitting and the sudden stop; it is the refusal to trust GOD that he has forgiven us: to not believe that we have a choice to get back up. richard foster writes, “If we fall down – and we will fall down – we get up and seek to obey again. We are forming the habit of obedience…”

may we remember that christ makes us brave and may we, who are prone to reject commitment, embrace a life of forming the habit of obedience. so that we may become lovers of GOD and lovers of people, living life to the fullest. amen.

a video for reflection and contemplation can also be viewed here:

http://bit.ly/7uiYlS

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despite my unbelief, i believe that who i am is a son of the only living god & king, YHWH [blessed be his name]. a son of the resurrection. a son of the wind which bends all things.

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