Don’t Try so Hard is the topic of conversation on pages 101-103 in Crazy Love. Don’t try so hard to do “what” is the question we might be asking.
Mr. Chan answers that with: “God wants us to crave a relationship with Him as we crave all genuine love relationships. He wants believers to desire Him and not be slaves who serve Him out of obligation.”
Chan then quotes Galatians 5:13, 14: “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But, do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather; serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
From this scripture, Chan points out that when we love, we’re free. We don’t have to worry about a burdensome load of commands. He then ask the question, “Do you feel free in your Christian life?”
Before, we can answer Chan’s question, I think we must take into consideration what Galatians 5:1 says: “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”
The word in that verse that is blaring out to me is entangled. My handy on-line dictionary defines entangle as: ‘to twist together or entwine into a confusing mass; snarl, to complicate; confuse, to involve in a tangle.’
Now back to Chan’s question: “Do you feel free in your Christian life to genuinely love and desire God, and not serve Him out of obligation?”
I believe before we can answer that question, we must first take a look at things that might have entangled us. May I suggest a few:
- Pay God Back: Straight to the point, and excuse my English: “It ain’t even possible to pay God back for what His Son, Jesus, did for us.” No Scripture is needed as a reference. If ever we should need a reminder, take a look at a picture of Jesus on the Cross; that should quench that little lie.
- False Guilt: A failure to trust God to forgive their sins may cause some people to try to serve God in order to work off their guilt, as in works of penance. But, this is contrary to God’s promise of complete forgiveness to all who confess their sins. (Colossians 2:13; 1 John 1:9)
- Inability to say No: Are you one who says “yes” every time someone from the church calls and ask you to fill a certain position?” “Do you feel obligated, even though you don’t feel right for the job?” “Are you left with feelings of guilt if you say, ‘No’?” I fell into this category until I learned that God had placed within me certain gifts as to how He wanted me to serve Him. (Ephesians 4:11) My pastor sums it up well: “Our gift is the one we use with minimum effort, maximum effectiveness, and a maximum of joy.” Believe me, that took a load of guilt off me as I began to serve Him in love with the gift He had placed within me rather than out of obligation.
And the obligation list could go and on into more areas, such as: legalism, self-seeking, performance-orientated, to name a few.
Sir Walter Scott, noted novelist and poet in the 1800’s said: “Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.”
If we are serving God out of obligation, we have woven a tangled web, and we are the ones being deceived. Let’s get untangled, so we can move forward and be free to serve God out of our Love for Him.
Be blessed,
Martha
Let’s Pray:
Father God, first of all, we open our hearts to the convicting power of the Holy Spirit to show us where we have felt obligated to serve You. Help us to replace those motives and lies, so that we are free to love YOU with a genuine love as You desire. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Your Assignment:
Do you feel obligated in any way to love and serve the Lord? If so, what has entangled you?
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If you would like to send Martha a personal message in regards to this blog, you may email her at: Martha@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com
