Wednesday, October 19, 2011

The Absurd Commands of God

“The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living.” Psalm 19:8 (NLT)

Have you ever read something in the Bible and thought, “God wants me to do that!”? You know, the sudden discovery of a command that does not make sense to us because it seems so extreme, so outside of our experience, so absurd. For instance, we are asked in scripture to pray without ceasing (I Thess. 5:17), not to be anxious about anything (Philippians 4:6-8), hate your family (Luke 14:25-33), and love your enemies (Matthew 5:43-48; Luke 6:27-36). All of these seem… well… absurd! We don’t wish to be disrespectful or question God but some things we read in the Bible can be a bit uncomfortable at first glance.

Over the next several weeks we will explore just a few of these “uncomfortable” commands and, hopefully, find comfort in them. You see, His commands are meant to bring joy, not discouragement. They are to be clear, not muddy and confusing. God’s instruction and commands are meant to really help us have clarity for living this life the best we possibly can. But this takes some exploration of the meaning of these “absurd” commands and putting them into practice.

Here are a few suggestions as we go forward and as you seek God through His Word:

1) Seek clarity and understanding. The answers are available to those who seek diligently.

2) Seek His Truth through prayer. Tell Him when you are unclear. He won’t be mad for your questions.

3) Seek out community. For 2000 years Christianity has been lived out in a community called the church (not a building, but a people). Let’s explore, study, and seek the answers together.

May God bring joy to our hearts and insight for living as we fully seek and find Him in all His commands.

Pastor David

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