Verse of the Day - Philippians 3:10-11

I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
~ Philippians 3:10-11 (NIV)

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Knowing a person takes work. To know what makes them tick...their likes and dislikes, passions and pursuits, their deep heart desires. If you're not committed to that person, you will probably bail before you really get down to the nitty gritty of who they really are.

Two kinds of commitment in relationships: law, and love. Law binds by contract. Love binds by promise. Of the two, which do you think has a stronger bond?

I hate to say it, but the law is not enough to hold relationships together. People break contracts all the time, in business and in marriage. It's do-able...difficult, but do-able. It often leaves a mess to clean up, but it seems better to cut ones losses than drown with a sinking ship.

Love, on the other hand, takes relationships to the heart level, where the bonds are stronger, where respect and devotion run the ship, not just a signature on a dotted line. The person is "in" 100%. Commitment from the heart.

So, in looking at our commitment to God, is it by law, or by love? Are we committed to knowing Christ, really knowing Him and His heart, because we love Him? Are we intent on digging into the Word and talking to Him in prayer? Or do we just read our Bible once a week in church and bow our heads because the pastor said to because we signed on the dotted line as a Christian and carry a membership card to prove it?

In "The Fiddler on the Roof", Tevye asks his wife, Golde, "Do you love me?" "I'm your wife!" she says. "I know," says Tevye, "but do you love me?"

Jesus asked Peter, as they ate fish on the seashore, "Do you love me?" Three times He asked Peter that question.

So -- do we love Jesus? Are we committed by promise to Him? Do we long to know everything there is to know about Him, to understand His heart, to care about what He cares about, to follow His lead, to act on His behalf? He said that everything He had He gave to His followers (John 15:15, Acts 1:4,8) -- His knowledge, His power. That was His promise, His commitment of love to those follow Him.

I had a Bible Study leader say one time that his greatest hope was that he would spur us to fall in love with Jesus. Do your actions toward Him speak of love, or law? You make the call.

Love,
Joelene