Thought of the Week: It's All in the Presentation

Recently, I heard the story of a woman whose demanding husband had come up with a list of twenty-five daily tasks she was supposed to perform in order to satisfy him. As she worked her way down the list every day, her resentment grew. How she hated that list and the man who required her to live by it!

As you might expect, that marriage didn’t last long. Some years later the woman fell in love with another man, whom she eventually married. Unlike her first husband, this man made no list for her but treated her with great respect. He honored her, and she came to love him deeply.

A few years into this marriage, the woman was going through some old records and came across a copy of the detested list from her first marriage. As she began to read it, she burst out laughing. She was doing every one of those twenty-five tasks – and a whole lot more – for her second husband. And she was loving it!

What made the difference? Her second marriage was rooted in love rather than in a checklist of duties and tasks.

Scripture reveals to us that God intends our relationship with Him to be like this woman’s second marriage. He wants obedience that comes from the heart that is based on love and respect for Him, and that results in peace and joy for us.

Could it be that so many of us fall short in these areas because our relationship with God is like the woman’s first marriage? Could it be that we think of our Lord as a demanding husband instead of the lover of our souls? Are we too preoccupied with lists of requirements instead of being captivated by God’s love? Are we too focused on what we think we must do for Him and not on what He has already done for us?

…. Think about this over the coming week.