The First

So, my first real blog post.  Not for Banner City Media, my business; just mine.  For the past few months I've felt like I'm going crazy because I don't have an outlet for the passion I feel burning inside of me.  So, like most mid-20s generation Y-ers, I start a blog to voice my...voice.

I guess the current thing right now that I'm chomping on is the issue of obedience.  Obviously, it's important.  Duh.  But I think we've totally skewed what Jesus was talking about.  It's not obedience in the sense of "do what you're told", or "obey your master."  Over and over Jesus is teaching us how to live like royalty.  In the same gospel where the big discussion is on obedience (John 15), there is also the biggest discussions on love.  It is all built on relationship.  Always.  The Kingdom is family.  So how does obedience fit?  Jesus tells us in John 15.  "Abide in me by keeping my commandments.  This is my commandment: love one another (paraphrased)."  Pretty straight forward, if you ask me.

We tend to think in Old Testament, or "religious" terms.  That is, "do A, B, and C and you'll get D and E."  More on that later, but the point is: our relationship with God is more than a system of actions.  We think "OK, keep his commandments.  So everything He said I have to make sure that I do."  I think that's off-center.  I think we mistake His teachings and his commandments.  He taught us to live like kingdom royalty, look at the sermon on the mount.  He wasn't saying "do this", He was saying "check this out, true life is in this."

What's my point?  That we need to view obedience from the perspective of a friend, not a slave.  "No love is greater than laying down your life for your friends."  If He asks me to do something, I'll do it not because He gives the orders, but I'll do it because it's important to Him, and I value our heart connection above everything else.

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