Life’s Success Formula (part 2)

“Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I keep Your word.” Psalm 119:67

Life’s Success Formula (part 2)

Keep – Did you know that you can do exactly that same thing that God does when it comes to making life a success?  Just a few days ago we looked at Psalm 145:20.  The Hebrew word shamar described God’s careful observation, watchful guarding and protection over His children.  God keeps us.  Now we discover that we get to do exactly the same thing with God’s commandments.  We get to watch over them, guard them and protect them by being fully compliant.  God keeps us and we keep His word.  This is the true circle of life.  Simple.  Direct.  Easy.

Did I say, “Easy”?  Yes, easy.  Why?  Because God keeps us.  In this world we are taught to believe that keeping God’s commandments is difficult.  We are taught that it takes tremendous will power, strenuous spiritual effort and staggering commitment.  And, of course, we are taught that we will constantly fail, be saddled with guilt and have to crawl back into fellowship.  We believe this because we start with the paradigm that spiritual progress is analogous to natural, physical progress.  Pain equals gain.  Get with the program.  Make a commitment.  Follow through.

Then we encounter words from Jesus, “My yoke is easy, my burden light”.  We are convinced that the road is impossibly difficult so we ignore the obvious.  Jesus doesn’t lie.  There is nothing difficult about obeying God.  In fact, you were designed to obey Him.  He made you with the proper spiritually shaped spaces so that you would fit right into His purposes.  Loving God is the intended natural thing to do.

By now all your alarm bells are sounding.  What about sinful nature?  What about the fallen world?  What about the spiritual warfare?  Ahh, we didn’t say it would be effortless.  It will take lots of effort but the effort will be spent getting yourself out of the way of God working through you.  The reason it is easy once you are out of the way is that God is the active agent and sends His Spirit to make sure it gets done.

Is it difficult to love your spouse or your children?  Not when the relationship is fantastic.  Then loving them is the easiest thing in the world.  The success formula (part 2) is obvious:  love God, make the relationship great, and get out of the way.  The rest is easy.