March 14 - Loopholes or Whole Hearts

 Read today’s texts first: Deuteronomy 25-27; Galatians 5

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

The law tries to conform us from the outside in,
but God’s Spirit transforms us from the inside out! 

As the OT laws become more specific, from taking care of your ox to protecting your privates in a fight (25:4,11,12), we can see the inadequacy of external laws. We may chuckle at some of them because society has changed so much, but in reality man’s attempts at writing laws are far more detailed.

The Rabbis expanded on God’s simple sabbath rules in the Mishnah, with its 39 major categories and hundreds of subcategories, from tying certain knots to writing adjoining letters. While in Jerusalem on Shabbat, I was fascinated (and a little frustrated) watching the hotel elevators automatically stop on every floor so we wouldn’t violate any work rules by pushing a button.

The western world has its own share of overly specific laws. In Normal, Oklahoma, it is illegal to antagonize a dog by making funny faces (seems “normal” to me). In Memphis, Tennessee, they still have a law in the books that forbids women from driving unless a man drives another vehicle in front with a red flag to warn other motorists!

Lawyers make a living studying hundreds of law books looking for loopholes. It’s human nature. I caught my granddaughter with a juice box in the family room after just explaining that eating is confined to the dining room. Her response – “I wasn’t eating; I was drinking!” I need to write my own Mishnah!

Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, gives us God’s perspective on the law. We need the law to show us how corrupt our sinful nature really is. But after Jesus fulfilled the demands of the law for us, it is now possible for the Law-giver to live in our hearts. Our sinful nature is transformed by His nature. His divine attributes, the fruit of the Spirit, begin to guide our actions in every situation (5:22-25), exceeding what the law demands (Matthew 5-7). The law tries to conform us from the outside in, but God’s Spirit transforms us from the inside out!

“Lord, thank You that I no longer live for myself, looking for loopholes to excuse my sin. I can live for You, loving You and others with my whole heart.”