The Balance Point

Biblical Law is not rules. Biblical Law is the mindset of determination to please God. It is the divine privilege of being God’s child.

On the one hand, that obedient attitude reaps blessings and miracles. The miracles become common, though you shouldn’t associate the word “routine” as it is commonly used. Rather, there comes a normative frame of reference where you learn to expect God to do things a certain way, providing miracles in certain areas because those areas are generally outside your hands. In other areas, you already know what God expects, and you face it with peace, determined to shine His glory. Those areas are blended into a continuum, yet you will know where the boundaries are.

The boundaries are, in part, unique to you alone. God is a Person; He is not a machine or computer that treats us all alike. He relates to each of us individually. There is a lot of common ground between us, where we all experience God in ways that allow us to recognize Him in the descriptions others give. It’s the same Person we all know, but we are not the same in ourselves, so there will be variations. And there are exceptions within our own experiences with God.

Even the exceptions become characteristic of your relationship with Him.

Jesus answered the Devil’s temptation in Luke 4:9-12. A rough approximation of what Jesus said is, “You shall not fling a challenge in God’s face.” If you are walking in obedience to God’s individual calling on your life, then you need to be ready for Him to catch you when you fall. And if He doesn’t, be ready for breakage. It’s His problem because it’s His program. But you shouldn’t put yourself in danger presumptuously, as if your intellect and reason is a sufficient guide to what God ought to do. Just because He can and does do miracles, don’t assume you have Him over a barrel. You should take that hard path willing to fall and be crushed, if that’s what glorifies Him.

It’s not about your reputation, but His. What makes sense to you is no constraint on God’s hand. His choices are for His glory. You can follow the rules best you know and still be crushed. It’s not about the outcomes, but the process in your soul of choosing to obey for reasons you cannot comprehend.

So where is the balance point? It’s written in your convictions; it beats in your heart. This is why we keep pointing back to the heart-led way. Your heart knows already. It does take some time getting used to hearing your heart, and listening to your heart. It does take some time to test the boundaries and get used to how God wants to lead you. Even then, it’s a moving target. It’s likely you’ll still be learning when your end comes.

Biblical Law is woven into your heart; it already knows. We need and use the written Word to inform our minds what to expect from the heart. But the end result is that Biblical Law is your heart, and your heart is Biblical Law. It’s not about the rules. The written Law was meant to be a model, a reference point, not a cage. The mere act of formulating boundaries means expecting exceptions. Even if you never see the exceptions, they are there in principle, simply because your brain cannot encompass divine moral truth.

People don’t see miracles in the first place because they don’t know where to look. They don’t acknowledge the miracles they already have. The fallen intellect wants to take credit for things God provides. When you start humbly acknowledging the Lord’s mercy and miracles, you’ll be in a better position to discover miracles he will provide when you reach the breaking points you cannot control.