Have you ever seen a person with a big dog on a leash that’s dragging the person around? Or maybe the person is having to drag the dog? That is the way a lot of us are living our Christian lives; we’re trying to follow Jesus while living on a law leash. For many of us, this artificial form of Christianity feels like God is dragging us along. He’s constantly shouting things like: “Stop that! Don’t do that! Come here Read your Bible! Pray! Go to church! Etc.” There is nothing inherently wrong with those things (In fact, they’re great things)! It’s just that God doesn’t intend for Christianity to feel like a leash is jerking us around.

On the other hand, have you ever seen a person walking their dog with no leash without the dog ever leaving its master? The person walks and the dog walks. When the person stops, the dog stops. In this case, the master doesn’t need a leash because he’s got a good relationship with his dog.

You can always tell the difference between a grace dog and a law dog when you walk into someone’s house. A law dog has its tail tucked and his head bowed. Its master intimidates it. It’s terrified of its master. It is a miserable dog! By contrast, a grace dog’s tail is wagging when its master comes home because they have a great relationship.

Remember: Our God calls for us to have a warm relationship with Him, not just to practice some frigid religion!

“Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.” (Colossians 2:20-23)

In Christ,
Jonathan Anderson