C.S. Lewis asserted that, just as there are natural laws
that govern the physical universe, there are natural laws that govern human
society. At times, referred to as the “Moral Law” or simply the rules or right
or wrong, these laws lay a foundation that gives human beings to judge what
certain behaviors are deemed “right” and what others are allowably condemned as
“wrong”. Lately, I have credited much of what my peers considered “kindness” or
“niceness” through various acts of service or goodwill as justification of
following the Moral Law. I whole-heartedly believe that acts of giving or acts
or service were to be done, quite simply, because that is what reputable human
beings ought to do. Yearning to be a respectable human being was more than just
trying not to murder people, steal anything, or tear someone down with hurtful
words, but more about rising above your circumstance, giving back, and never
letting go of your dreams, which would eventually land you a place card with
your name synonymous with good citizen of the world. Yet, why do we give each
other so much praise for doing what ought to be done? The charity we give, the
warmth and encouragement we share, and the condemnation for things malicious,
are all a part of the Moral Law. This Law, which is just merely a foundation
and starting point, is used as a measuring stick when we try to judge for
ourselves who is righteous and who is wicked. Using the starting line to
measure how far you’ve traveled is giving you the illusion that you have
arrived, yet it is only marking the place to begin. Why should we create
bombastic, inflated people through our encouragement of following the mere
basis of what governs the foundation of society? As a people of God, we are
called to be more than reputable citizens of the world. A good name with a good
fame is not a bad place to begin, and in order to understand how to depart
from the starting line, we must first understand the Laws of Motion.
Isaac Newton’s Laws of Motion state three things:
First, is the velocity
of an object remains constant unless the body is acted upon by an external
force. Essentially pertaining to day-to-day life, consistency is key. Unless
things beyond our control have taken a toll on our tithes or physical strength
to provide and serve our consistency should not be hindered, yet keeping in
mind that the hand of God that gives to us can inevitably take away. Spiritual
disciplines have never once come to bite me back, nor have they left me with
any regrets. Each and every day, God consistently breathes life into our frail
human flesh, and with every consecutive breath, it is a reminder that God is a
constant, unchanging variable. Never leaving us nor forsaking us. Consistency
and discipline are two things extremely characteristic of God Himself, and as
surely as the apple does not fall far from the tree, these two things
characteristic of the very life of Christ Jesus, whom we aim and strive to be.
Secondly, the acceleration of
an object is parallel and directly proportional to the net force, and inversely proportional to the mass. Or in other words, the determining factor of
your rate of change or fruitfulness in life is proportional to the net force,
or in this case, the force that surrounds us and moves us to action. As well
as, how much you are willing to allow that Holy Spirit to move, because a
breakdown of this law can be a simple as this: if a body is accelerating, there
is force in it. When we sit and wait at the starting line, wanting to be
provoked by some sort of gunshot, signaling that the race has started, we waste
precious waking hours. The fact is this: Jesus departed and left us with His
Holy Spirit, we have full knowledge of this and are called to live in such a
way that we are running the race, fighting the fight, and never settling for
less than what is best. We have no need for the gunshot, for we have come to
run with the Holy Spirit, for in him we live and move and have our being.
And that is what allows us to run this race till the end. Breathing is a
constant reminder that God is with you; the Holy Spirit is a constant reminder
that you are breathing for a reason.
Thirdly, every action has an equal or opposite reaction. Let me repeat
that: every single action provokes another action of equal or opposite value. Or
in our case, every single act of God in our lives is a call to action and
unfortunately, any action on our part cannot even measure up in response to the
grandeur and majesty of God. But nonetheless, THERE IS A REACTION. We can chose
to either respond back, in praise and worship, or turn away and neglect His
Goodness and His Grace. Not forgetting that negligence can come in various
different ways. Such as, putting yourself in default mode and reverting to a
state of complacency and lukewarmness is at its best a state of neglect and, in
essence, an opposite reaction to the blessings, Grace, and mercy that God has
lavished upon us. The mighty Love of God is nothing short of a tidal wave that
can either provoke you to sink or swim, and when you decide not to move at all,
you are not helping anyone. Not even yourself.
Furthermore, in light of God’s love and what Jesus has done for us, the
Moral Law is an absolute load of garbage. Using this Moral Law as a mirror to
wonder how good we look in front of God or worse: in front of man, will do a
whole lot of nothing and most certainly won’t help us achieve what Jesus
commanded before He departed: to go and make disciples
of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of
the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything He has
commanded. We are called to breathe deeply and know that God is good, all the
time. To also know that God is with us and the Holy Spirit has awakened us to
truly live. Acts of service, charitable giving, and living “well” is only the
beginning. We are called to depart from the starting line and run until we’ve
finally crossed the finish line to hear God say those words: “Well done, my
good and faithful servant.”
