It was a stare challenge of authority. Finley, my eighteen month old son, was asked to stack blocks at his well check doctor’s visit. He slowly and deliberately stacked three blocks high, but then he locked eyes upon the physician’s assistant to cunningly distract her gaze from his chubby little hand coming from the backside to knock over the tower of blocks. He did not have any idea why he was to obey the doctor, because what was more pressing to his eighteen month old mind was the intrusion of air space from those wooden blocks. Again, the physician’s assistant asked Finley to stack the blocks for an assessment of motor skills and listening skills. Finley’s cooperation was veiled with his own agenda. Four blocks high would make a better statement of defiance this time. With the fourth block in place and eyes holding the attention of the less enlightened physician assistant, who obviously is clueless to the complete travesty a stack of blocks is to the emotions of an eighteen month old, Finley wiped the slate clean of the wooden block corruption. When the dust microscopically settled, Finley was still locked in the stare challenge of authority. “Why should I listen to you?”
Whether we realize it or not, we ask and answer this question everyday in our walk with God. Whether we choose to obey God or not, we are answering the question of who God is to us. If our agenda is above his omniscience, we are not letting God be God. This is a daily challenge we all face. We are all tempted to take control, know better, or act apart from God’s design. So how can we be better at letting God be God?
Walter Kaiser Jr., an Old Testament scholar, brought this to my attention this past week. In his work, Toward Old Testament Ethics, Kaiser discusses the prologue to the Ten Commandments. Notice that before the commandments God says, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” (Exodus 20:2, ESV) God asserts His authority AND His grace! He was the God of Israel, and He graciously brought them out of slavery toward a land of promise. Kaiser remarks, “Thus we see that grace is always the soil in which the law must take root, and law is the natural outcome and the only appropriate response to so high a calling and privilege.”[1] A relationship with God is reflected in how His commands are obeyed and God provided more than authority for motivation as He underlined His history of gracious provision through the exodus from slavery. God does not desire our veiled cooperation, but rather our loving heart and He has acted in grace and love through Christ to have that relationship with us. Our obedience is then a natural or “reasonable” (Romans. 12:1,2) response to Him.
Why should we listen to God? This question will expose how fresh of a relationship we have with God. If we have a vibrant or growing relationship with God, the answer is more often the positive because we are more aware and reminded of how incredible His grace and love are toward us. This produces an obedient trust, not a blind faith.
Is it time to freshen up your relationship with God? Here are a few suggestions in pastoral alliteration:
- Consistent Observation.
The place that reveals the most concerning God is His word. A consistent time to read and respond to God’s word will improve your relationship with God. When you are consistent, thoughts are connected and themes of truths become apparent. Make it a consistent part of your daily schedule to find a fresh word from God in His word.
- Committed Participation.
God instituted the church as an avenue of relationships and response. Making a committed effort to be apart of worship services, bible studies, and outreaching endeavors with a local church builds not only our relationship with other believers but also toward God. Paul noted the active participation of the Philippians when he said, “It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.” (Philippians 1:7, emphasis added) Become a committed partaker and not a “when I’m available” member of a local congregation and watch how your relationship with God is renewed.
- Communal Integration.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “Sin wants to be alone with people. It takes them away from the community. The more lonely people become, the more destructive the power of sin over them. The more deeply they become entangled in it, the more unholy is their loneliness.”[2] When you can be involved in a community, you can see God work through your obedience. Opportunities to share what you have learned, or to encourage someone who is hurting are actions that bring depth to our relationship with God. If you are not growing closer to God you are less likely to witness, encourage, support, or teach others about God. Community engagement will necessitate and encourage a fresh relationship with God.
In your stare challenge of authority, a fresh view of God will motivate obedience. Know God’s incredible grace and love. Grow closer in a relationship with God. Then, it will naturally show in your life!
[1] Walter Kaiser Jr. Toward Old Testament Ethics. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1983. 78.
[2] Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Life Together. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1996. 110.