Friday, October 26, 2007

make us love what you command

Perhaps this line from this Sunday's Collect of the Day gives us a hint as to how to get a handle on living in grace while obeying the commandments:

increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command


We saw reflections of this in the Scripture references we looked at Wednesday night - treasuring God's Word, which includes his commands, as a gift to us not as harsh ordinances or stipulations with specific punitive results...

Let's be like Joshua (1: 8) and the blessed man of Psalm 1 who treasure and meditate on the Torah day and night. Let us "Love the Lord with all our heart" and keep his commanded words on our hearts (Deuteronomy 6:4-6; 30:15-18).

And indeed because we've been given new hearts (Jeremiah 31, Ezekiel 36) then let us guard them...

My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.
Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart.
For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.
Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

(Proverbs 4:20-23)

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