August 19: Insight Post by Rusty Coram
Wednesday Insight Post
by Rusty Coram
Sometimes I find myself, like many, making things more complicated than they need to be. I had a project at home that I didn’t really want to do, and the more I thought about it, the more I made the whole process seem way more elaborate than it needed to be. All I needed was to search the issue, watch a 3-minute YouTube video, and then order a part to install. My assumption of complexity held me back for way too long.
Sometimes people do this when it comes to having a genuine relationship with God. In our reading this week, we find a great summary of the life of a true follower: “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul.” Deuteronomy 10:12 (NLT). In this message to His people, God is speaking to all who choose to follow Him. He wants us to build a relationship with Him that is genuine and personal, not merely follow rules in the hope that our obedience will pave the way to being okay with Him. The word fear means to hold Him in the highest respect and honor, and this should come naturally to all of us who have experienced His amazing grace and forgiveness through Jesus’ sacrifice. The impact is that we respond by offering our whole life to Him in service to His desires, not to earn His love but to show our enduring gratitude for what He has already given us. If we lose sight of this simple fact, we can begin to complicate our relationship with God and make it about keeping rules and regulations rather than obeying and serving the One who has given us what we could never attain on our own. It isn’t that we must serve - it’s that we get to!
Rusty Coram
Senior Pastor