Why Do I Disobey My Lord?

Something just occurred to me, so you get another message today. Yay me! School just began across the street. As I watched, the bell rang, but not all of the children got the message. The yelling of a teacher began; yet, some of the little students remained on the playground equipment. Suddenly it came to me why I disobey the Lord so much; I am at school, but I don't quite have the discipline down yet. That is to say, I am saved in Christ and now bear the title of disciple, but my discipline is still more related to my old condition. My state of discipleship is this way because some of my school years lie yet before me; I have not yet graduated to perfect love and obedience in the likeness of Christ my Savior.

Somewhere in the dash, that is the little character on my future tombstone between the born year and the died year, I am attending the school of Christ. As with those little students across the way, I am at school, but not yet perfectly schooled. In Christ I am known as a disciple, but like His followers in Galilee, I am not yet the powerful and perfectly obedient disciple I will become in time. The bell rings in this life, but in some cases I don't hear it in the hubbub of living, or I don't yet know what this particular bell means and so miss the obedience in my ignorance. Fortunately, Christ has provided a manual and some mentors to help me get schooled in His way.

As the years go by in the Christ school, various teachers will come and go in their due seasons. From them, I will learn more about obedience based in the love of Jesus. Obeying the Law of Moses is like the obedience learned from chains and a whip at my back. Obeying the Law in Christ is a substitution of a have-to for a want-to. That is to say, because I am learning to love Christ in all ways, I want to obey Him and His word more each day. A have-to law brings the desire to rebel, and that is why disobedience to so easy when a set of rules is presented. A want-to law is when the heart agrees with the law and obedience becomes easy. At graduation time, the want-to will have completely replaced the have-to.

Graduation won't come until you and I are made ready to stand in God's court before His throne. We are a little sad over that because like this first day of school, the reward and rest from our labor in Christ seems rather a long time away. The little students face long months of school, but they will be changed. We face seasons of training and tribulation before our graduation from the school of Christ, but like the students that day is out there. We have only to walk the path of our education as disciples with Christ to get to that wonderful graduation to Heaven.

God's love to you!
Bucky