Doing instead of loving

I realize that I'm back from Malawi, but only physically. And I know I made this blog for me to write to you guys FROM Malawi, but in a sense, I'm still there, and I think I always will be there. So I'm just going to keep on writing, even if no one reads it (I know my mom does though :) I just need to for my own sanity.

I don't know why it hit my yesterday, but it did. We were driving from Anaheim after having lunch with my pastor and all of a sudden, I felt free. I, for the first time, felt like some chains were loosened, and I'm just waiting for the day they'll be broken. Anyways, I realized that all the things I've done in my past, and those things done to me, they don't matter. Well, they matter because they make me who I am, so I guess I mean that it doesn't matter in the sense that it's ok that they happened. I felt a light sense of joy, and all this happened while I was sitting in the car. God really does speak to you throughout the day, if you just listen, you'll hear Him.

So I'm continuing my devotions like I did in Malawi every morning. And I was reading some of the letters given to me by my friends in Malawi. We wrote letters based on the fruits of the Spirit (Galations 5:22). So I was reading chapter 5 and it was the "Freedom in Christ" section. It reminded me of feeling free, but it actually had nothing to do with freeing from your sins, it talked about circumcision, which made me wonder why I was reading it. But it was talking of freedom from doing legalistic things because those things turn what should be a lifestyle into a religion and law. So, it doesn't even become what it started out to be. It's so crazy how Satan can instantly pervert and mutilate things. God called Abraham to be circumcised to show a covenant in the flesh (Genesis 17:10-14). It was a manifestation (maybe not too public) of the sacrifices people would make for God. After all, God said to love Him with all your heart, soul, body, and mind and this was just a test for the flesh. But then, this test was twisted from a pure intention to something focusing on pain, rather than love which then turned into this legalistic thing where if you didn't do this, you can't be a child of God, ultimately putting words in God' mouth. But, who are people judge who can be God's? Everyone and everything is God's. He created the heavens and the earth.

God doesn't ask much from us. All he asks is to love Him first, and the 2nd, to love your neighbor as yourself. And reading it, I thought it was clear. But the world has put a rule before it. I remember studying this in philosophy. We were discussing morals and Kant's categorical imperative: "Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law." So whether an action is morally permissible depends on whether that action could be universal law; it would be ok if everyone else does what you are doing. He goes on to saying it follows the Biblical rule "Do unto others as you would do for yourself", also known as the Golden Rule. I never actually looked up the rule in the Bible, but I found that it appears in 2 places. Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31. Anyways, I feel like this rule has been distorted. God doesn't require you to do anything for people. That's not the main focus. I'm not trying to discredit the Golden Rule, it does show up twice. But the 2nd command shows up 8 times! (Lev 19:18, Matt 19:19, Matt 22:39, Mark 12:31, Luke 10:27, Romans 13:9, Gal 5:14, James 2:8). The main focus is loving, not doing. If we do things without the root of love, it becomes this vain selflessness and obligation. But, if you first love, the doing and serving others will come naturally. It will become less obligatory and more willful. So the Golden rule, that mere name is ironic in that it is gold, an idol. It reminds me of the golden calf in that people, in their weak faith, formed their own image of God, something tangible, yet false. Similarly, people have manipulated God's rule, giving it a new intention, a new definition which raises questions and doubt. As we learned in Galatians, a little nuance, change in intention and focus can corrupt something that was once for God. So by changing the intention to doing instead of loving, the rule rules out that second command, to love. It blinds us by raising questions against it. It leaves room for arguments of subjectivity and that's when worldly philosophy comes in.

God's rule is unquestionable; there's no room for argument; it's simple. Just love. I guess you can ask, What is love? (baby don't hurt me, don't hurt me, no more.. ahah). But love is something you can't answer. Everyone has experienced it at one point. It's a feeling, not a thought, a feeling so strong and dense, a feeling that can't be wrangled and dissected by the mind. I think whether you're a Christian or not, you've experienced it. Love is something so great that cannot be withheld from anyone. Love doesn't bias because its from God. The only difference I feel, is that Christians acknowledge that this love comes from God and non-believers have yet to acknowledge it. It's amazing how everyone has a piece of God, even unknowingly. And, even if they continue to not know, God will not withhold His love from them. That joy when they love, it's from God. This feeling, so indescribable comes from God, who is too great to be put into words.

The Golden rule should not be made into an idol. And, I think its called the Golden rule for a reason. Not because its precious, but because it is precious in the worldly sense, which ultimately makes it inferior to God. Anything from God is more precious and more pure than gold (1 Peter 1:7).

So don't let the world blind you. Let's love, and not do.

Love, Love, Love,

Angela