There was once a young lady name Jolene who had beautiful blue eyes and light hair. About the time she reached the age of 8 or so, she started noticing that others had different color eyes. She thought that brown eyes were the prettiest and longed to change her blue eyes to brown. By the time she reached her early teens, she learned that she could use colored contact lenses to change the color of her eyes. She set out to get herself a pair. When she finally purchased a pair, she wore them faithfully. Many people commented on her beautiful brown eyes. She revelled in those compliments.
After a few years though, she began to weary of constantly putting them in and out, in and out; the expense of solutions, etc. But, oh, she so wanted to keep her eyes brown. But, whenever she took out her contacts, blue eyes stared back at her.
During high school, she learned the reason she had blue eyes was that she lacked the correct gene for brown eyes. One must have a gene for brown eyes to have brown eyes. And, if you had the gene for brown eyes, you would have brown eyes. Sadly, she realized that, because she lacked the correct gene, contacts were the only way for her to have those beautiful, brown eyes she adored.
Then, in her 20s, she learned of a new technology. Science had discovered a way to inject a gene into one’s body to actually change certain traits that person had been born with. Hmmmm…..could she actually acquire the gene for brown eyes thereby giving her naturally brown eyes?
It didn’t take long for Jolene to decide she must find out. Upon learning that it was indeed possible for her to acquire the gene she desired, she set out to get it. Upon waking up the morning after she had received this new gene into her body, imagine her delight when looking into the mirror and looking back at her were a pair of beautiful, brown eyes. Ahhhh!!! No more contacts!!! No more solution!!! Every morning, every day for the rest of her life she would have those eyes she had desired from the time she was a child.
There were times when her body would attempt to force the eyes back to their original color. Jolene was diligent about the drops she needed to take….little effort considering her earlier difficulties in maintaining brown eyes.
Friends asked her repeatedly, trying to get her to admit she continued wearing contacts….that the natural color of her eyes did NOT change. “Surely, you have to wear contacts, though. There must be something you need to do to have brown eyes. Your natural ones are blue, not brown.”
She tried to convince them that she had new genes. “And, if one had the genes for brown eyes, she explained, “one would have brown eyes. And, I now have that gene. You can have brown eyes too, if you simply acquire the gene for them. Throw out your contacts and solution and get the gene so you can have brown eyes forever!”
Sound corny? No, I don’t have a latent desire for brown eyes, though I have wondered why one of the only Italians with blue eyes happened to be my biological father, but didn’t lose much sleep over it. So you may be wondering the point of my story.
“Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is that loves me.” Jn 14:21
“So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.” James 2:17,26
“But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” I John 3:17-18
When God changed our heart, he didn’t just clean it up a little bit, He gave us a complete heart transplant. I have a friend who received a kidney transplant. The day he woke the doctors “regretfully” told him they the kidney he received was diseased and would last long before he would need dialysis again. But, God’s not like that. He didn’t give us a diseased heart. He gave us a completely new heart and changed our DNA. We now have acquired new genes!
Unfortunately, we have difficulty understanding this and we think we still need to work hard at doing things, fulfilling commands, performing duties and obligations. NO! Just fall in love with your Heavenly Father! Allow Him to fill you with His love, allow your new DNA to function the way it’s designed. We often been encouraged to show people love, but with your new genes you can actually LOVE THEM! If you love them, you WILL show it! It’s in your genes now!
“But, are you saying, I don’t have to do anything? Just love them and go my way?” Ummmmm…..it ain’t possible. The verse in 1 John basically says that very thing but asks it as a rhetorical question. “How does God’s love abide in him?!” If you can see a brother and need and walk away, you haven’t received God’s love….you aren’t really loving them…..you’re still trying to just show it.
We don’t have to…..we GET to. We no longer see our choices as “I’m not free to do that” but rather, “I’m free to not do that.” We cannot love God and hate our enemy. We cannot love God and continue to sin. We cannot love God and remain lukewarm. Francis Chan in his book, Crazy Love, states that actions driven by guilt(or fear) are not the antidote to lukewarmness. Love is.
We don’t have to worry about endless lists of commands and duties to perform because when we are in love with God-completely, totally in love with Him with abandon-we cannot help but do as He asks. We will delight in the things that delight Him. Our heart breaks with the things that break His. That’s the essense of John 14:21. It’s not a check-off box that enables us prove we–or someone else–love(s) Him….it’s a natural outcome of our love for Him….and our changed DNA.
We still need eyedrops…..well, actually it’s sitting at the feet of Jesus, learning from Him, worshiping Him, continuing to delight in Him. Remembering is the hardest part….actually doing it is delightful.
You have new genes. Throw away the contacts! Throw away the solution! Forever enjoy your newfound freedom! You have the most beautiful, brown eyes!