It is my desire to seek out the truths of God and to apply them to my life in the manner in which God intends them to be applied. Easy, huh? Maybe not. OK, definitely not easy. But that's still my desire and my goal. Knowing that I will never master it does not discourage me, but rather it encourages me as I know I will never grow bored in seeking out the truth and in growing closer to Christ and knowing Him and His ways more fully.
I want to be a servant who stands before the King on the last day and hears, "Well done, good and faithful servant." I know that those words can only be true as I stand clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. No amount of "getting it right" will justify me before the Almighty God. But, still, He commands me to obey and seek and follow. He did not set me on His path for me to go my own own way knowing "it doesn't matter how I live since I will be forgiven in the end". He did not give me statutes and rules and instructions so that I could earn favor with Him. He gave them to me for my good and His glory.
I thought of the whole notion of "it's the thought that counts", and "what is in our hearts is what matters", this morning as I was making breakfast. I had toast in the toaster and scrambled eggs just about finished cooking in the cast iron pan on the stove when Gabe walked in with a telltale odor that caused me to pat his backside, checking for the inevitable. It was worse than I suspected, when pajamas are dripping wet just five minutes after a full nighttime bladder was emptied on the toilet there is only one unpleasant cause.
I called in a helper and gave these two instructions: 1) stir the eggs for another minute until they aren't runny, and 2) then scoop them into the yellow bowl. The yellow bowl was sitting next to the stove with a serving spoon in it, ready to be set on the table.
I took Gabe to the bathroom, changed him, cleaned the pajamas, bagged the disposables, and showered the boy. When I returned, the eggs were on the table and the yellow bowl was still on the counter. The eggs were still in the cast iron pan. I asked, "Did you see the bowl?" The answer came back, "Yes, but this works fine."
I know the thought was good, it was a thought of helpfulness (no extra dish to wash), in the heart of my helper was a desire to do good for me. But, added to it was a reasoning that made the person determine that the yellow bowl was unnecessary and there was a better, more efficient, way to serve the eggs. This person heard the command, but applied their own reasoning that caused them to do something different, something that made better sense to them, and still ended up with the same result--cooked eggs on the table.
In my experience, however, I have learned that eggs left in a cast iron pan continue to cook for quite awhile and that eggs transferred to a serving bowl taste much better (if you grew up in my house you'll know it took me a LONG time to learn this...sorry). I wanted the eggs to be transferred to another bowl, but I didn't explain why as I rushed out of the room with my little cesspool.
I ended up feeling rather frustrated that we all had to eat dry, overcooked eggs when I had left very exact instructions as to what I wanted done with the eggs.
It made me think back on the "thought that counts" idea. The thought was good, but I wanted someone who could follow my instructions. 2 John 6 says, "And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it." God wants our obedience, he wants us to follow His directions. He also wants a willing heart. He wants the two to go together. We don't cease to obey the instructions because we are saved by grace and justified through faith. The obedience doesn't earn us His favor, but "faith without works is dead" is also true. God wants us to trust him and obey without always knowing why.
Having my helper follow my instructions while complaining about it would have been just as disappointing to me as them cheerfully choosing to ignore my instructions while doing it their own way. I wanted someone to lovingly and willingly do what I asked. Had I not said anything about transferring the eggs to another bowl, or had they not heard me or seen the bowl, that would have been different.
This is my desire--to seek out the commandments of God and their embodiment in the life of Jesus Christ; and, as I walk with God, to lovingly and willingly do what He asks, even if it doesn't always make sense to me.
