obedience

There's a distinction between being a follower of Jesus who obeys the word, and a follower of Jesus who makes a point to obey the word "to a T".

One is based on love. The other is based on duty.

One is effortless. The other brings satisfaction based on compliance by self.

One is unpredictable. The other is predictable.

One brings forth good fruit of and for the Kingdom. The other gives the appearance of producing lasting fruit.

One brings life. The other brings death.

One brings the commendation and embrace of God. The other leads to rejection by Jesus.

One warms God's heart. The other is a stench to His nose.


The Body believes and preaches the former.

Some of the Body lives the former (praise the Lord). Some live the latter.

Some don't realize they live the latter.

There is bondage in half-baked, religious-based and regulation-influenced quasi-Christianity. Jesus paid a horrific price so that we could be free from this. He taught and severely rebuked that a life based on code adherence is not the Way. And yet some live this, even though they read and profess Jesus' teaching denouncing it.

Lord Jesus, you came to set the captives free. There is no bondage in You. None. There are unseen shackles of code-based living in the Body, Lord. It weighs some down from living in freedom you came for. You came for freedom, Jesus. Freedom from sin. Freedom from religious-based adherence, whose way ends in death.

Holy Spirit, show us any of this in our lives. Open our eyes. Let the scales fall! If we have any rotten, bad fruit like this in our lives, show it to us. Reveal any of this regulation garbage, so that we can recognize it, nail it to the cross, and this very minute start living in the freedom of the Truth. Jesus promised that You would guide us into all Truth, Holy Spirit. Guide us!
In Jesus' powerful and liberating Name, Amen.