FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT & SAFETY

I am remembering a moment, a Christmas Eve in the living room, putting a massive toy of some sort together, as quietly as possible.  It’s something I wanted to get done quickly, it was late and I knew the boys would be up before dawn, wanting to get into the presents.  I was tempted to simply look at the picture on the package and build from that, except that this clever manufacturer had printed instructions that began with: “Please follow the instructions carefully, the designers and manufacturers of this product wish to do everything in their power to ensure your enjoyment and safety.” 

“…to ensure your enjoyment and safety.”

And I had another epiphany.  It was about something that had been in the news during that Christmas Season: The Ten Commandments.  Some city somewhere what’s going through some sort of thing about a stone in front of the courthouse and a manger scene and a menorah, or something.  Anyway I had either forgotten or suddenly realized the Ten Commandments (the Decalogue) are a prime example of “the Designer/Manufacturer’s…wish to do everything in His power to ensure our enjoyment and safety.”

The “Big Ten”, and even more so, “The Sermon on the Mount” are patterns for life in this time & place, written and “illustrated/acted out” by the One who created this time and place…and holds it together, with our help.  Said another way, “If you want enjoyment and safety here on earth…do this”.

Following rules and guidelines set by God aren’t exactly how we transition into the age-to-come. Jesus makes that clear.  Jesus says it is by our faith that we are restored by the grace of His Father.  It is a gift from His Father and our Father that we can be restored to the ideal created in Eden, and remain close to God, in THIS age and into the age-to-come.

We don’t stand next to the Father and walk with Him through eternity because of who WE are, but because of who HE is.

Jesus spent His time as a Teacher on earth trying to re-explain, clear up misconceptions and help us see His Father in a new light.  He was clear in what was, and is, expected of those who BELIEVE & FOLLOW, but His emphasis was on active love between each other…in response to the great gift given to us by His Father, NOT as some sort of test to see if we should “get into heaven.”

The TEN COMMANDMENTS and THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT make practical sense in this created world.  These are the “directions” for living well, with our Creator and with each other.  I’d go so far as to say, even the most spiritually-insensitive could benefit from living in this world according to these words and guidelines.

But again, these words are about LIFE, in the here-and-now. These words aren’t the “magic potion” that “gets us to the age-to-come. The Apostle Paul was also clear that we all fail.  We fail on purpose and innocently.  And when we do, Jesus stands to defend us as someone who has worn our skin, seen with our eyes, and walked our path.  The fear of disappointing and offending God, which many of us grew up with, is something that doesn’t necessarily (or always) come from God. However, we should appropriately fear and respect a Being with the power to obliterate even our very souls with a blink of His eye…and yet chooses not to.

Does God sit in heaven, yearly “going over the books” and writing or erasing each of our names according to our deeds, good and bad?  I honestly am not there to witness that or see it.  I can only tell you what the scripture, the Spirit, and my own experience with God tells me: He would race across the universe to merely give us a hug.  He is completely and totally wrapped up in us…for us, it’s all about God, and for God life is completely about us.

His concern is not only that we are with Him and He is with us, forever…but also that we LIVE that “full life” starting now, in the HERE-and-now…so that we can continue to enjoy that life in the age-to-come.

Our Father, the Creator (Manufacturer), has designed the world we live in. He has given us instructions in both the Old and New Testaments…and has given us the Spirit to continually teach, guide, and empower us to live, to really LIVE, now…and “across the Jordan”. 

And we can LIVE, a embarrassingly extravagant life…by following the Designer & Manufacturer’s instructions to ensure our enjoyment and safety…in a better world.