4.20.26 ~ Builder vs. Bystander, Part 2: Imbalance

Should we try to impress God with our faithfulness? Should we strive to please Him with our faith (Heb. 11:6; Num. 14:11; Ps. 78:22, 32; Ruth 2:12; Prov. 11:18; Ps. 119:10; Prov. 8:17)? Should we make Him proud where He proclaims, "Well done"? The simpler this topic becomes, the louder the critics become. Over the years I have heard everything from "cult leader" to "putting us under the law" to "undermining the gospel of Jesus Christ with a Torah mindset" to "trying to earn your salvation" or worse, living a life according to God's commands, affectionately known as "Torahism" (as though the "-ism" carries extra theological weight). Some will say, "God's not impressed, honey. It's about grace. Don't you forget that, sweetie." I have seen the negative articles. I have read the press clippings filled with warnings. But to be honest with you, I think many of you are absolutely looking to impress God—to make Him proud of you by your works—and furthermore, you should be! And furthermore, He likes it.


I know some people somewhere squirm a bit: "But, but, but, but, but God already loves us completely. We cannot earn any more of His love because He is the essence of love (1 John 4:8). His love is beyond our grasp (Eph. 3:18–19). It is not based on our performance. It is who He is." And once we grasp that and settle that in our own minds, we can focus on the intimate part of our relationship with Him: pleasing Him! Making Him proud!


Here is a hard question. Is that really how love works? Even unconditional love? Is unconditional love unaffected love? That is the question you have to think about. Think about it again. Take your children—your own children. You love them to the nth degree. There is nothing they could do to stop you from being their parent. But can they make you proud? Yes, they can. Do their choices bring you joy? Yes. Can they disappoint you? Yes. Can they grieve you? Yes. Can they strain the relationship even when it is completely under and guarded by love? Yes, of course they can. That is what it means to be in a relationship with a real person who makes real choices. And you can apply it across all of your relationships because unconditional love does not mean frozen love. It does not mean nothing you do matters.


I want you to consider this imbalance, which you will actually have to think about because I did as I was thinking about this week's counting of the Omer studies (BTW, happy 16th day of counting the Omer).


If nothing we do can move God positively—if my striving in my service cannot affect Him at all—how unfair is it that our bad things do? Think about the imbalance. We are told that we cannot do anything to earn God's favor. We are told that our good works are like filthy rags (Isa. 64:6). We are told that God's love is unchanged by the things we do. But then we sin, and suddenly what we do matters enormously. Suddenly, there is wrath, there are consequences, and there are eternal implications. So which one is it? Either what we do matters to God, or it does not. You cannot have a God who is completely unmoved by your good works and effort to please Him and make Him proud, but deeply moved by your failure. It is an imbalance. The God of Scripture is not like that. He responds. He delights when we seek Him, when we serve others. He grieves when we turn away.


On this 16th day of counting the Omer, let us commit to please Him, to make Him proud, while recognizing there are two sides to God's relational coin. He is perfectly balanced. Let us imitate Him (Eph. 5:1)!


Shalom!  

Alan

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