God's Royal Law of Liberty

Jesus said: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” (Matt 4:4) It is the Word of God that created us and it is still the Word of God that sustains us each and every day of our lives. Therefore the Word of God should be the focal point of  our lives. It has many functions.

It serves as a moral compass to us to help us avoid the darker aspect of our human natures. “It is a lamp unto our feet, and a Light unto our paths.” (Ps 119:105) When the Word of God is eliminated from a society, moral decay soon follows.

In every Word of God is wrapped up His constant love for us and His desire to protect us. I like to imagine that God had each of us specifically in mind when He wrote His Royal Law. Isaiah 49:16 says He has our names engraved on the palms of His hands. When the Word of God  is practiced in the daily life of a believer, it serves as a happy liberation to the soul and leads others to admire God, our King.

The Law of God reflects His justice and points us to Christ, in whom is revealed His mercy. Like the blood of Christ represented “the sorrow and love that flowed mingled down”, so the Word of God represents His heart and thoughts to us.

We should follow the Word of God not through grudging or legalistic obedience as slaves to it, but rather because we love God. Jesus said: “If you love Me, You will keep my commandments.” We are sons, not slaves and we should behave as such. (Romans 8:15)

Shakespeare wrote that: “love is a star to every wandering bark, whose worth is not known though its height be taken.”

The Word of God as revealed in the Holy Scriptures is our “star of gladness gleaming”, for there is no greater love than the love of our Heavenly Father who has promised to “write His Law within our hearts.” (Romans 2:15). Keep your thoughts pure-reflect on God’s Law! (Phil 4:8)

"So speak and do as those who shall be judged by the Law of liberty." -James 2:12

The Dangerous Deception of Hypocrisy

It amazes me how much we, in modern society today, harbour a spirit of bitterness and resentment against each other. We are constantly judging each other, sizing each other up and competing against one another. Because of this, our world is in a state of chaos and disrepair.

The judgements we make of others do not usually come from a spirit of love either, but one of hypocrisy. We are often guilty of breaking the very same laws or standards that we so readily accuse others of breaking. We are a selfish and self-righteous people.

We don’t seem to realize that judging others in a hypocritical spirit breeds a cycle of rebellion and satan is the author of rebellion. No one wants to take the advice of a hypocrite. People expect us to not just “talk the talk”, but also to “walk the walk.” There is always a practical side to what we profess and we must hold fast to our profession. True authority comes from living out the Word of God, just as Jesus did. That’s the reason everyone marveled at His authority. What gives us the right to judge others when even Jesus Christ, who was and is truly the Judge of the Universe, did not judge us until He had walked our human experience!

Let us not let hypocrisy corrupt our hearts like leprosy corrupts the body. Let us correct others in a spirit of love only, and not to make ourselves look better in comparison to them for God hates the proud and He will make them low.  Jesus condemned the Pharisees for their hypocrisy and double standards in Matt 23:23, yet we are in danger of the same sin today. We already have one “accuser of the brethren.” We need more defenders of the brethren i.e. those who lift up the downtrodden and the weak instead of trampling on their dreams and hopes! Remember, justice and mercy do mix-they come together in the form of Jesus Christ.

Scriptures: Matt 7:1-5, 1 Cor 6:1-5,  Matt 19:28, Ps 98:9, Ps 26:1,  Rev 12: 10,  Matt 23:23-28