Dirty Hands; Washed Hearts (Part 2)

"Nana! You can't eat! We haven't said the 'thank you' yet!" And before I knew it, my eighty-nine year old mother's hands were being held hostage until she told God how much she appreciated her scrambled eggs. How excited I am that our littles know it is important to say "thank you." I can't say, however, I'm thrilled the "grace police" have shown up at our home. I pray regularly that our family would serve God for generations, but I pray that servitude springs forth from humble hearts, in love with Jesus. I know what it's like to grow up believing in God and knowing what He expects; but it wasn't until far into adulthood that I had a relationship with Him. As a child, I repeated the sinner's prayer -- I was told what to say, and I said it. I memorized verses and repeated "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep" each night -- I was told what to do and I did it. But my heart was empty. Religion never fills us up.

The song, "More Like Falling in Love", by Jason Gray, explains this futility and the remedy wonderfully:

Give me rules,
I will break them
Show me lines
I will cross them
I need more than a truth to believe
I need a truth that lives, moves, and breathes
To sweep me off my feet
It's gotta be more like falling in love
Than something to believe in
More like losing my heart
Than giving my allegiance...
It's like I'm falling in love...

This describes a relationship. And the only cure for either blind obedience or flagrant rebellion. Both of which can lead to eternal death.

Jesus went round after round with the Pharisees in His day. He called them white-washed tombs. Outward presentation -- rituals and study and obeying the rules -- had not changed their hearts; they did not love or demonstrate grace. And the heavy burden of laws they placed on the people were causing God's people to become hard, and leading them astray. Jesus had zero tolerance for that. He wanted His people to have a relationship with His Father. He didn't want them crushed and discouraged under expectations any more than He wanted them to disobey God's law. He wanted them to fall in love with the Father and walk in relationship with Him. That is the cure for the deadly pitfalls of ritual rule-keeping or open rebellion. Do you want a relationship with someone who is in it only because someone told them they should be? There's no more joy in that than being in a relationship with someone who obviously doesn't want to be. Someone going through the motions day after day is empty; someone determined to do things their own way, regardless of your interests is division. Love is what fills and unites and changes our hearts that we might obey gladly. Even those God has placed in authority that don't appear to be "worthy" of our obedience.

Think of it this way, our obedience is a form of worship. It's a way we actively show God how we feel about Him. The longer we do it, the closer we grow to Him, the more we learn, obeying God is a risk-free endeavor. He will never do anything that will not bring Him glory, or work for our good.  He has made it clear that He is mightier than any other; He gives power and authority to whomever He chooses. And if we trust His word is true: if we believe He is in control of it all, and if we are sure He is working for our good, we can obey His command to submit to the authority -- good or bad -- He has placed over us. By our actions, we obey them; with our hearts we obey the One who allowed their tenure and the One to whom we relinquish our will. And, hopefully, pray for those in leadership without ceasing.

It is the cleansing of our hearts, not our hands, that brings us into a relationship with the One True and Living God. Surrender yourself to Him today and be washed by His Spirit into an obedient, but fully confident life of victory and abundance.