The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them. Psalm 25:14
If we knew the nature of sin, we would repent often. If we could see sin the way we see oil stains on clothes, if we knew the length of its reach, we would love God more.
Sin is so nebulous, and the Enemy has done well in altering the perception of many that believe. Jesus tried to tell us the truth about sin when He was on Earth. He told those who would hear, “You have heard that it was said….”………..”But now I tell you:……..” Check out Matthew 5:21-48 in your spare time and you may see. Jesus was telling people that they had long considered sin to be a transgression of earthly laws when really the laws that they were disobeying were truly only exposing sin, not causing it. Jesus spoke of a higher law, a spiritual one. He spoke of hatred, before the murder. Of selfishness before the theft. Of lust before sex.
A common saying in our time is “Relationship over Religion”. This phrase is mainly used to communicate that rather than wanting you to follow a bunch of rules, God wants to know you personally. But what if I told you we are actually incapable of knowing God personally, as we are? The Bible says that without faith, no one can know God. The Bible also teaches that faith only comes by hearing, and hearing through the Word of God. In short, the only way we can relate to God is by obeying the instruction in his Word through faith. Satan knew this and knew that if he could somehow twist you and I’s perspective of the law, he could trick us into never really coming to know Him, by hating instruction. And if we despise instruction, we will never know or be able to repent from our sin.
The truth is, our relationship with God can not function without rules. Look at how we treat earthly relationships! I reckon that you won’t find a single happily married couple that is just “naturally” like that. After many years of relationship, they have developed rules that help them to maintain peace and love. Rules that are designed around the pleasure of the other person. So don’t be deceived! The law of God surely does matter, and without it you and I could never hope to build a lasting and healthy marriage with Him. His law is a guidebook to his heart. He only confides in those that fear him. That’s in Psalm 25:14, and though you may not hear it from your favorite pulpit or ever see it on a bumper sticker, it is true. God does indeed have a Way in which He wants to be related to. You could even say God has a “type”(going off the relationship theme), and it is his Son, Jesus Christ.
Make up your mind not to follow the crowd. Yes, God DOES want to know you as His friend, but Love will never be at the expense of Righteousness.
Ask God to open your eyes concerning his law. The bible says our delight should be in the Law of our Lord, and that we should meditate on it day and night. Would God say this, if His law was a restriction to us, or if it hindered us from relating to Him? The righteousness we seek was already paid for by Jesus Christ! Every time you take his Word as truth and seek to obey it, you are putting on that already purchased Righteousness. So don’t be afraid! As you accept the challenge of choosing to abide by God’s laws every day, you give Him the privilege of washing you clean in your heart, of being the Good Father He has always longed to be for you.