Love Trumps Rules

Have you ever heard the expression, “rules without relationship bring rebellion”? A person can try to enforce all the rules upon someone else but if there is no relationship all the rules in the world can not make someone love or obey. I can’t say why we get so caught up in rules in the Christian faith but it sure does not bring good relationships. Jesus’ way is the way of the Father’s love. His love is a love that covers even when we fail or make mistakes, and we all fail.

Jesus came for the sick not the perfect. The irony is there is none who is perfect, so in the divine design he died for everyone. It’s our personal choice if we want to accept His ways or not. To be in Christ is to be in love.

Honestly, who cares how a person prays as long as they do, or how a person dresses because it is God who dressed man and woman first in the garden of Eden. When someone opens their mouth to speak the word of God does it really matter what gender they are as long as the words their mouth speak are God’s?

I’ve been thinking a lot about this today, you know, rules over grace. There seem to be so many more “thou shalt not’s” than God originally intended. Even in the commandments that God gave to us, He also gave us grace through the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus. If we really truly want healing we need love in grace. If we really truly want fellowship with the people of God, and God Himself, then we need to chuck the rules and go with relationship instead. We already have too much rebellion.

How can we build beautiful churches and not allow the whole council of God be spoken within them by denying women to speak? If Jesus showed up in rags and in bare feet would we allow Him in our doorways? I wonder if we need that new sound system or if we need more love in our hearts to feed those who are weary and poor. These are not meant to be judgement but observations and questions that I have.

Having relationship means having love. How do we expect anyone to follow the ways of Christ by causing them to feel judged every time they turn around? I’m sure some of my statements here are not popular. I am not looking to be popular but to speak the truth. Everyone seems to have a different rule these days. Rules of how to pray right and rules of how to act or dress. We can’t go to some seminaries if we have been divorced and yet God allowed divorce. He said so in the Bible. It does not mean that divorce is the better road but it means grace covers those who have to go through the ordeal.

I’m voting for relationship and I am on the side of love; God’s love through Christ. I don’t know how to fix the mistakes we make in the church, but I know the One who does, and I think if we turn to Him the answers are already there.

In love and peace,
Pastor Jenine Marie Howry

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