Will God bend the rules for me?

A friend recently asked me to write some devotionals for a magazine he edits. This was my first try and thought I’d share some of it here, too.

Galatians 3:23-24, “Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.” (NIV)

In the summer of 1994, I learned the ropes of officiating at track meets. Who knew all the rules and regulations that athletes had to abide by! Jumpers must exit the sand pit at the front and not on the side or back. A second false start will disqualify the runner. Relay exchanges must be made in the exchange zone (not before or after). Any runner who steps on the line dividing lanes in order to gain advantage or impede the progress of another will be disqualified. In one sense, the rules of competition level the playing field for all. There are one set of rules for everyone and all must abide by them. In another sense, the rules were sources of frustration because many times, young athletes weren’t intentionally trying to break the rules; it just happened. And when that did happened, I hated to raise the red flag, but knew that the rules would not bend.

God’s laws, the Ten Commandments, are rock solid, too. They do not bend. Anyone who sins or breaks one of the commandments has become guilty of breaking them all because the same Lawgiver who wrote “do not commit adultery,” has also written “do not murder” (James 2:11). If it is true that all have sinned (Rom 3:23) and the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23), then what hope do we have? Will God bend the rules for me? The good news is that Jesus kept God’s commandments perfectly, satisfied God’s wrath against lawbreakers by his substitutionary death on the cross, and those who receive Him by faith are justified by his grace as a gift (Rom 3:24-25). If you believe in this good news, rejoice and share it with a friend today!

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