Neither Counts

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value.  The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. ~ Galatians 5:6

To pray with your eyes open, or closed. To dance, or not dance.  To sing hymns, or praise and hip hop.  To circumcise, or not.  Too fast, or not too fast.  Sometimes Christians get caught up in issues that are really personal preferences, but have no bearing on the issue of true salvation.  When we are accepted into Christ’s family we should be more concerned about showing Christ’s love to one another no matter our preferences and we should embrace our differences while celebrating our unity in Christ.  The Law of Moses from the Old Testament was fulfilled when Christ died on the cross for our sins.  We are no longer bound by the law, but instead we are free through the blood of Jesus.  Validating, or justifying our faith through our obedience of the Mosaic law has little value now.  Our justification comes from Christ only and our love for Him should be evident to others through our faith in Him.  Our faith and trust honors God which in turn is a blessing to us.  We don’t need to get caught up in rituals, traditions and the do’s and don’ts of religion.  We need to be about the character of God through love and grace.   Faith is a heart issue; it’s a relationship with Jesus, not a task oriented checklist.  Faith says, “I want to see God’s work in my life and other’s lives” and we get excited about it; which in turn, leads to loving others and meeting their needs.  Let’s make sure our hearts are set to love others through our faith and let God shine instead of being concerned with personal preferences.  The heart is what matters in the end. ~ Amen