To the Ends of the Earth

In my younger years, I viewed the commands of God as burdensome. I thought of God’s law as an exhaustive list of spiritual “dos” and “don’ts,” of “shall nots” and “should nots” to which I could never measure up. I failed to love God with my whole heart, as I viewed God primarily as a divine rule-giver and judge. Moreover, I fell short in loving my neighbor as myself and always possessed a bit of a "what’s-in-it-for-me?” mentality. In both regards, my love was always tainted with selfishness and undermined by fear, intolerance, and indifference.

As I grew in faith, my perspective concerning God’s law changed. As I came to understand God’s unconditional mercy, I began to see God’s commands as liberating. Far from being burdensome, I discovered—as today’s reading says—that loving God means loving God’s commands. I learned that God is not against me and that even when I fail to obey God, there is abundant grace available to me.

Psalm 1 speaks of the person “whose delight is in the law of the LORD, who meditates on his law day and night” (v. 2, NIV). This psalm says that the person who delights in God’s law is “like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither . . . whatever they do prospers” (v. 3, NIV).

I want to be like that water-fed tree. I want the fruit of good deeds to grow in abundance in my life. I want the good things I do to prosper. And so I meditate on God’s rules for right living. I study God's ways and seek to obey God's commands. I am far from perfect in my obedience, but I am beginning to delight in God’s law. I have learned that it is not burdensome, and that God’s grace is amazing!