Surely the first and most important thing a parent must teach their child is obedience. Obedience saves lives. Obedience keeps children safe from harm. While doing so one of the most important lessons a parent needs to learn is to make only necessary rules and as the child grows and so should the rules decrease. This is the way God treats us. The commandments are only there to keep us from harm and the more we mature in understanding the less we need to be reminded of them. We grow from living by rules to living by principles. And the more mature we become in that mode, living by principles becomes second nature.
God’s entire design for us is to do no harm and to receive no harm. Living in His kingdom is just that simple. There are no secret handshakes. There are no code words. As we open ourselves to the indwelling Spirit, we grow. We cannot help it anymore than a plant could not grow in fertile soil with ample water.
There is no special club to join. God does not call us to membership. He calls us to citizenship. The difference is huge. Membership is all about belonging to a special privileged group. Citizenship calls us to responsibility and service toward everyone. Just as my town is populated by a multitude of diversity so God’s kingdom is populated by a vast array of humanity. Paul wrote, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3.
Written by Roger Bothwell on November 25, 2008
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