A Thought

“By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.  And His commandments are not burdensome.  For whatever is born of God overcomes the world.  And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith.”  1 John 5:2-5

“Commandment” has come to carry such a negative connotation because Christians typically associate “commandment” only with the so-called “Ten Commandments” and the “thou shalt not’s”; don’t do this, don’t do that.  And it may be more difficult still for Americans who confuse our God-given “liberty” with “license” to do as we please when we please without a better appreciation for all that the commandments involve; that is, understanding how people of faith live with and among one another just as St. Paul writes to the Corinthians: “When you sin against a brother or sister and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ” (1 Corinthians 8:12).

The commandments do not prevent us from doing the things we like; rather, the commandments free us to do the things we should for the sake of one another in and for our communities, particularly the Church community.  Living by faith, then, is living in “the victory that has overcome the world”, not in defeat by and submission to an overbearing God.  The Word of God, particularly the Word Made Flesh, is the Lord’s greatest Gift to us; Old Testament and New Testament alike revealed in Christ.

So let us live as a people blessed with Gifts from Above; freed to do right by one another and live well for one another.  This is the Church.  This is us!

Blessings,

Michael