CAPA Corner: Law or Love

    Football season is upon us. So many die-hard football fans are wearing their teams shirts and colors and waving their teams flags and banners. One thing you will never see is a die-hard LSU fan have Alabama shirts, symbols, flags, or images. You will never see any loyal fan put another team before their team. Why is that? Is there an NCAA commandment that says, “Thou shalt have no other team before your team.”?  There is no such commandment, but thousands upon thousands of football fans stay loyal and true to their team. To wave another banner would be disloyal and disrespectful. We adore our team and cheer for them (Praise & Worship) and pay money, even a large sum in advance, to watch them play and support them (Tithes & Offerings).  
    We Christians can learn something from this. Die-hard fans do not need a commandment that tells them not to have another team before their team, but because they love and adore their team they remain loyal and true. Christians have a commandment from God that says, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”, and yet we wear other colors and wave other banners. One definition that stands out regarding a god is: any person or thing to which excessive attention is given. Can you think of any persons or things to which you give excessive attention to other than almighty God? Hobbies, sports, facebook, internet, T.V., job, self, family, etc., etc…
    We try and keep a commandment (Law) because we know that is what God wants us to do and we fail. We fail because there is no intimate relationship. If we would get to know God then we would love and adore him and no longer would we be trying to keep the law because it is a command, but the law would be kept because we love our God. To know and love God is to know and love his only son, Jesus Christ; no man can come unto the Father, but by Jesus. Those who are loyal and devoted to God do not need a commandment. If we love God with all our being we will have no other gods before him. Love is the fulfilling of the law. 
In Christ’s Love,
Kenny Kepper
Pastor
Berean Ministries