Once there was a husband and wife who really didn’t love each other very much. He was very demanding of her, so much that he gave her a list of things he wanted done, and he insisted she read them every day and follow them to the letter. The list included demands like what time she should get up, when his breakfast should be served, and exactly how the housework should be done. After several long years of unhappiness, the husband died. After some time, the woman fell in love with another man, who dearly loved her. They were soon married, and her new husband did everything he could to make her feel happy and loved. He continually showered her with compliments and tokens of his love. One day when she was cleaning house, she found the old list from her first husband tucked away in a drawer. As she read through the list she realized even though her current husband hadn’t given her a list, she was doing many of the things on the list anyway. She realized she was so devoted to her husband that she was doing those things out of love instead of out of obligation. That’s the reason we should obey Jesus.
The devil wants to push us to extremes. But there is a wonderful balance to grace. Don’t sink into far extreme of license, thinking that since you’re under grace anything goes. Don’t get petrified into legalism, reducing your faith to a list of rules and regulations. Stay centered on love as your primary motive!–By David Dykes
