When you ask someone to tell you about Christianity, more than often will they mention something about the 10 Commandments?
Most of us have heard about those “10 rules”:
Do not steal!
Do not lie!
Do not murder!
Do not commit adultery!
No need to go on.
Sadly, that is where the answer usually ends. And it then seems that Christianity is merely about following 10 Commandments. About following a set of rules…
I disagree with that!
Let’s talk soccer:
If I had to ask you to list some of the rules for that, you’d probably come up with some of these:
No going off-side,
No stepping over the border lines,
No dangerous tackles,
You are not allowed more than 11 players per team on the field,
You are not allowed to use your hands.
Now let’s think about Oscar who plays for Chelsea (my favourite team). When he runs onto the field to play for his team, what do you think he is thinking about?
Let me suggest some of his thoughts:
Wow, I get to play for this excellent club!
I get to play this game that I love so much!
I hope I play well today and do my best!
Would you agree with that?
I doubt that he runs onto the field thinking:
“Oh my goodness, I must be careful to not run outside of the lines, or use my hands, or run into an offside position.”
No ways! He is not thinking about the rules. He is thinking about the LOVE of the GAME.
He doesn’t play with the rules as his main focus.
HOWEVER he does plays with LOVE and ENJOYMENT as his focus.
Christianity is like that too. It’s not about the rules. It’s about LOVE being our main focus.
I don’t follow Jesus thinking “oh my goodness, I have all these rules to obey.”
Not a chance! I follow Jesus because of LOVE. His love for me invites me into a relationship with Him.
Back to Oscar: When he plays well and plays to the best of his ability, he is playing in the confines of the rules anyway.
Likewise, with following Jesus.
When I am living out in LOVE, I would be living in the confines of the “rules” (10 Commandments) anyway.
It’s all about love.
Because, we all would agree that the world needs more of that! And you have access to that same love right now, why not click the pop-up or banner below to see what I’m talking about.
Author: Darrel Hofland
Twitter: @darrelhofland
Instagram: @darrelhofland
Website: www.darrelhoff.wordpress.com