Commands or Suggestions?

A dear friend of mine was going through a very difficult time. It hurt me deeply to see him in pain, to see his despairing and discouraging heart. As I was talking him through some of that pain, some of the counsel I offered to him was rejected, probably just because the pain was too near to him still for him to be able to receive instruction or advice.

Nonetheless, in the midst of the discussion, as I was sharing these things, I realized I was hurt by his rejection of my counsel. I began to ask myself “why do I feel this way?”

Whether it was pride raising its ugly head and encouraging me to be offended at the thought that I could possibly be wrong, or it was just my sensitive heart taking something more personally than I ought, a new thought struck me:

I didn’t feel like my counsel to my friend was simply a suggestion. It was a conviction formed over several years of struggle and questioning and learning and relearning. It had become a part of who I am as a person. A value I am deeply committed to. My friend’s rejection was not just a rejection of a theory or idea. It was a rejection of me as a person.

Some might say that I ought not take things so personally. But why? This wasn’t just an idea. It is a very deep part of who I am – it is a truth that drives my every-day life. It determines my decisions, large and small, it impacts the way I interact with others, and even goes so far as helping me discern God’s will for my future. And it was conviction formed from the encouragement and counsel of trusted advisors. It’s not just something that only applies to me – I believe it to be relevant for everyone.

That said, I began to draw a new analogy in my mind. My friend’s rejection of my advise was a rejection of me as aperson. How much stronger the hurt and offense God must take when we reject His commandments? And note: they are commandments – called everywhere in Scripture, even in the New Testament - commandments. They aren’t just His suggestions for how we live our life.

He is the One who Created us, formed us into existence from the dust. He is the One who created heaven and earth and commands its eternal destiny both now and in the time to come. Don’t you think the Creator, the One who originated life, would be able to help us understand how to live the life He created?

And yet how often do we read God’s Word so lightly as to think we could possibly come up with a better option for ourselves? And yet sin deceives us into thinking so.

God’s Words to us aren’t suggestions. They are commands. When we reject them, when we disobey them, we are rejecting God as a Person, and not just any person – we are rejecting the Instructor, the Creator, the One who knows how it’s supposed to work, and the One who made it possible for us to continue to live life even unto eternity through the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

May He, our Abba Father, enlighten the eyes of our ever-deceiving heart, to trust in and then obey His Word, if only to honor Him. May He gives us the grace and freedom (John 8) to follow His ways.