"To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams."

When I was a boy my parents were missionaries for a time in the Philippines. They were there to teach in a Bible college that a Philippine national had started. Though there are several occasions that I can remember vividly, there is one that has stuck with me that has taught me more than all the rest put together.

A few months after we had gotten there, a pastor, of a fairly large church, and his wife came to visit the national that my parents were working with. Apparently the church of the pastor that had come to visit had been supporting the work the national was involved in and he and his wife came to see firsthand the ministry. It was very exciting to me because I wanted to be a pastor and I look forward to talking to him-nothing in-depth, just a word or two. Some kids admire baseball players, I admired pastors.

Besides the Bible College, the Philippine national pastor also worked toevangelize some tribes people (former headhunters) who lived on a small island just north of the main island. So during the coarse of the pastor’s visit, it was decided that we would all travel to this small island and see what the Lord was doing there.

After we had gotten there we cleaned up a bit, had a worship service with the people of the village, had dinner, and then we all went to walk along the beach. It was low tide so we could go out a bit and examine what the water left there. I don’t know really what everyone else was doing that night, but I was following the pastor and his wife-not too closely, just enough to perhaps be noticed and acknowledged. As they walked along they noticed a small starfish and bent over to see it more closely. The pastor picked it up with a stick and, as they were looking at it, I went over to them and said, "Can I see it?" At this the pastor said, "Yea, here," threw it on my foot and walked away.

After the initial shock wore off, my feelings were hurt and the admiration I had for that guy was gone.

We as Christians (as does the world at large) have certain expectations of how we should act and talk, where we go and things we do. It is expected of a serious Christian to not drink, smoke, or cuss. To add to this, and probably more importantly, Christians expect of themselves (as does the world at large) to attend church services on a regular basis, tithe, and give offerings as the need arises. Now, these are but the basics.

Depending on which church one goes to, or denomination of which one belongs, the list gets longer and the expectations more stringent, usually.

As time goes on, more and more churches have came into being in an effort to relax the criteria of "what it means to be a Christian" and to lower these expectations because more and more are willing to say, "This is too much for me, I can’t do all of this though I try," or simply, "I won’t do all of this," and live accordingly. Whether the intent be for the sake of the weaker sheep, relax some guilty consciences, or to be more inclusive for the sake of the lost, these churches have sprung up more and more as time goes by.The fact of the matter is, at whatever level of expectations a Christian is willing to live, or feel as though they can live, there is a church or denomination to fit the bill. And this is how denominations get their start anyway, isn’t it: to fit a bill?

If you feel as though you cannot live within the rules and regulations of one church, that’s okay, there is another down the road. If you are uncomfortable with the formalities of that one, fine, there’s another across the street. If that one is too "fiery" in the praise and worship service for your liking, then on the next block there is another. In every city and every town across this nation of ours there are a plethora of churches and, I am sure, at least one that everyone would feel comfortable in. It’s a good thing too because something like 90% of our population here in this country say that they believe in God. That’s the good news.There is a problem with all of this however, that should be very evident to the Christian though not to the world, even the world in the church.

And that is, though there are many of us there is but One God. If there is but One God, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One," (Deut 6: 4) and there are many of us and there are many denominations it must be true that denominations are in and from the heart of man and not the heart of God Himself (1 Cor. 1:10-13).

It is a fact, that as Christians, we should live a certain and pure way; there is simply no way around it, nor is there anyway to justify sin in our lives. At the same time, however, simply having a list of expectations will not see to it that they can be fulfilled nor do they see to it that one fulfilling them is indeed a Christian. If what we do is done and what we do not do is not done simply because this is what is expected of us than what we are doing is simply offering sacrifices and, though in and of themselves there is nothing wrong with this, left alone, in the end, they are meaningless and for most, temporary.

It is not "sacrifice" the Lord desires. Hosea 6:6 says, "I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgement of God rather than burnt offerings." What the Lord requires of us is obedience and it is impossible to please God without it.

"If you love Me you will obey my command," said the Lord, and His command: love each other as He has loved us. Once a person is born again there is but one command: love.   It was the same for the children of Israel even with the list of rules and regulations that were handed down to them from God Himself for the Lord said that to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind and to love your neighbor as yourself are not only the greatest commandments, they are what give meaning to the rest and all that God has done and will ever do. And to this day, love for God and for others is what gives meaning to what we do as

Christians because love is the fulfillment of the law (Romans 13:10).

If we, as Christians, would simply love one another as we do ourselves and what we do we do out of love, the issues that seem big for us, and the sin that so easily entangles, would be as nothing for the Lord has promised us His Holy Spirit. We cannot do as we are doing today and simply try and fulfill whatever law it is that has been passed down to us via tradition and expect that this is what is required of us and all that is required of us.

Once we are born again we are given birth into the family of God and there are things that are done by the world, things that we once did, that should no longer be done, but we cannot, for one moment, leave love for God and for our fellowman out of the equation. It is not our ability to fulfill expectations that enables us to love, but our love for God and for others that enables us to live truly holy and righteous lives: lives that are pleasing to God.

1 John 3:14

"We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death."

KC