Our FATHER... who art in HEAVEN..
But you see.. again... that we aren't to be "obeying in fear" of the Lord as in the Old Covenant, but to LOVE HIM and want to worship Him BECAUSE HE LOVED US FIRST! First of all, people in fear don't think very well. Secondly, who wants a child to love you because he's scared of you?? That's just a crazy notion, and God changed it all in the second covenant. Now the Law is on our Hearts... and because we LOVE GOD, we want to obey Him, LOVE HIM BACK as our Almighty Father who has the GRACE TO FORGIVE US. Things are to be on Earth as they are in Heaven? Is there sin in Heaven? No. We are to "go and sin no more" but we are to do this as our show of Love; and loving us back in His Amazing Grace that is bestowed upon us through Christ Jesus, He FORGIVES US for our sins, those He died for!
Jiggyfly... maybe the concept of God is too limited here. Remember He is watching everything, He is the CREATOR. HE KNOWS WE ARE TRYING... HE KNOWS our HEARTS. And once you know the difference, between good and evil... and what sin is, He expects you to try your hardest. Scripture says this, that once you know, you can't go back to your old ways; you must be a "changed man through Christ" or you wouldn't even be a Christian in the first place, by definition. And... when it comes to trials, tribulations, and temptation - God has promised He will not test you beyond your limits, doesn't this seem like a pretty fair deal? It does to me!
As I am a new parent (step parent) I have learned some absolutely awesome things about how parents and adults interact. Obedience is the highest form of love that I see from my Children too - it tells me they have learned what I have taught them, they listen to me, they LOVE me, they TRUST ME, and when I see them doing things as I have asked, or have INTERNALIZED THE VALUES I TEACH THEM, so even when I don't HAVE TO ASK... because they KNOW what is "right"... it WARMS MY HEART BEYOND ALL SPEECH. They are obedient children, a beautiful sight to behold; they know I've taught them this, in love. I want them to respond to me, and to this instruction with love. Not fear!! NEVER EVER fear! This is what their old home did to them, made them scared to death to make an error, and damaged them, made them confused and afraid to speak. Now... for the last two years, they have a LOVING HOME... IF THEY MAKE AN ERROR, I do NOT get angry. I sit down and explain, again, with patience, lots of love, understanding... why this is wrong. They feel guilty, sometimes they get a little punishment for it. Next time, they'll be obedient - and they will feel good about it, because they know they are pleasing WHO LOVED THEM FIRST, and bothered to teach them. They return that love, through their obedience. Well, isn't all this the same with our Heavenly Father, if He made us in His image and He lovingly calls us "His Children"? Nobody can condemn their children to hell! That's just... not a plausible concept. So for us, God's Children, logically He isn't going to condemn us to hell after we've received Christ; but yes, judgement and punishment comes from disobedience - you experience it RIGHT HERE on Earth. Every time you go against God's will in your Earthly life - you'll suffer, I promise you. That's because God wrote the Human Manual - The Bible. NOTHING IS WISER when it comes to people, how they operate, what motivates them... and more importantly HOW TO LIVE. If you go against it, it won't work out. It NEVER DOES. God created you, and nobody knows you better than He does. A good example is premarital sex. If you do this, you may think you're getting away with something - but you're not. You're throwing away every blessing in your marriage, before you even get there for God to reward your obedience. Not only that, but if the wedding doesn't come off, then there's a bunch of punishments waiting for you having that intimacy before commitment; HORRIBLY hurt feelings, perhaps unwanted pregnancy, and more. God knows what He is doing; He is trying to SAVE YOU in every way from the ravages of this Earthly world, by keeping your eyes on His Law, His Will for you, His promises for you, and Jesus Christ. He doesn't want to punish you EVEN MORE for those mistakes, you're going to get it bad for that ANYWAY... Another good example is divorce. Nothing is MORE miserable. You can't tell me living in lies is fun, or coveting anything is a "good time"... each and every one of these commandments is BUILT TO HELP US as human creatures, by our "manufacturer". I
honestly believe we have "escaped hell" and are saved through our Faith that Christ died for our sins; but I just as strongly believe that is is our behavior, our obedience through our love of our Heavenly Father that we receive blessings - not only here on Earth - but this is how we store our REAL treasures - in Heaven.God bless you for seeking the truth here at Talk Jesus, Jiggyfly! :girl_hug:
In Christ,
CaliFlower :rose: