Saturday, September 21, 2013

Do's and Don't's

A lot of times we just go through the motions. Wear your skirt to your knee. Don't drink. Don't do drugs. Don't say bad words. Be kind. Be respectful....the list could go on. Are you stuck in this rut? Maybe, you've thought before, Why am I even doing this? 

Well, why are you doing it? Is it because that's what you've always done? Or because your parents say so? I'd like to venture out and say, those aren't the right reasons. You can stop reading now if you want. You can keep going day in day out doing the same things. But just hear me out for a minute. 

There is always some kind of motivation behind everything that you do. It could be as simple as sleeping because you or tired, or it could be a perfectly laid out plan to accomplish a long term goal in the next five years. But both of these have a motivation behind it: it's something that you desire above anything else at that moment. 

Psalm 42:1 says, "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God."

Just like a deer has a longing, a necessity, for a drink of water, so is David's desire for His Savior. Ultimately, this motivation is what led a 17-year-old boy to fight a giant. This is what led Him to show restraint from killing Saul even though he had multiple opportunities. This is what led Him to repent and accept the punishment for even what we would say is his greatest sin. All of these actions were motivated by His love for God.

Where do we begin to have this great love for God? We don't have to look very far. Just look up a hill on a dark day long, long ago. The hill called Calvary. What do you see there? I see a Man, broken and bleeding. I see the weight of my sin, crushing His holiness. I see a Savior, who loved me more than anyone ever could. 

So, why do you do what you do? Just because your parents say so? Or because a love for God's Word motivates you to obey? Because others will praise you? Or because God will be pleased? If we could even just begin to understand what Christ did for us on the cross, we would have absolutely no excuse, no reason not to live out of love for Him, our ultimate sacrifice. 

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