Acts 5:29

Acts 5:29

We absolutely should obey God rather than man, this isn’t a new concept or something hard to understand. God sees the whole picture, He knows what is actually best for us, and ultimately controls the whole universe. But, it’s one thing to know that God loves you and wants the best for your life, it’s another thing to actually be willing to submit yourself to His methods. His plans are usually the complete opposite of what we want or think should happen but they are still the best. In Deuteronomy 5:29 God says, “Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!” Human nature tends to lean towards the idea that God likes to make rules for the sake of making rules, but this verse reveals so much of His heart behind His commandments. God does not make rules to restrict us or prevent us from having fun but to allow us to experience true life. His commandments, when obeyed as an act of worship, transform us into His image. My mind can’t fully grasp the concept that following the Lord’s commandments brings freedom, but I have seen it in my life and in the lives of those around me so it must be true. For me it is so easy to fall into a legalistic obedience and completely forget that that is not the point. My legalistic nature flares up even with the “homework” that has been assigned since being in Ignite. I know that it isn’t really homework like in high school but an effort made by the leadership to deepen our knowledge and love of the Lord. Every time I sit down to read an assigned book or write an IBS, a battle goes on in my heart as to how I am going to treat this assignment. If my mindset is not one that is desiring to know the Lord more deeply than before, it becomes an empty action that is only done to obey what man has told me to do.