{"id":7598,"date":"2025-11-11T16:23:38","date_gmt":"2025-11-11T21:23:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/?p=7598"},"modified":"2026-01-25T11:09:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T16:09:19","slug":"kept-day-and-night-even-when-we-feel-unprotected-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-3-2-3-2-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/?p=7598","title":{"rendered":"(The Everlasting Way) Rules Don’t Rule"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Bible Belt<\/span><\/h3>\n

In the south, we tend to all call ourselves Christian, without really knowing what it means. Growing up, I was no different. On Sunday mornings, my sister, brother and I would cut the volume down on our 4-channel, rabbit ear antenna bearing television.<\/p>\n

The plan was to stay quiet long enough not to wake Mom. If we made it until Rocky and Bullwinkle came on, we were safe. There wouldn\u2019t be enough time to get dressed and ready for church. Mom didn\u2019t like to be late.<\/p>\n

Living near a fundamental, legalistic, Christian college didn\u2019t help my dislike of religion. Some kids of the students attended my elementary school. I judged them for the way they looked and acted. They dressed so prim and proper. And because they didn\u2019t join in our mischievous ideas of fun, they seemed stuffy and joyless. I felt judged by them. But looking back, I was the one who was doing the judging.<\/p>\n

In my eyes, they were a \u201cborn again,\u201d \u201cholier than thou\u201d brand of Christianity I wanted no part of. Besides, I \u201cbelieved\u201d in Jesus. I\u2019d tried to live a good life. I\u2019d murdered no one or robbed a bank. I figured my slot in heaven was secure.<\/p>\n

Searching for Joy<\/span><\/h3>\n

While in college, I realized that all the things I thought would bring me lasting joy, left me feeling empty. I knew a relationship with God was the answer, but I didn’t know how that worked.<\/p>\n

My best friend, who had recently given His life to Christ, talked to me about how my \u201cgood works\u201d would not get me to heaven. He said it was because of what Jesus did, not my following rules. Using the following verse, he convinced me that my present lifestyle was not one which reflected that I was truly a Christian:<\/p>\n

You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn\u00a0bushes\u00a0nor figs from thistles, are they?<\/span><\/span>\u00a017\u00a0<\/sup>So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit (Matthew 7:16-17<\/strong>).<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

But I didn\u2019t understand why Christ would accept me because of my party lifestyle. This kind of grace seemed so foreign. Again, basing my conclusion on my faulty thinking that God loves us based on what we do.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, in 1977, I bent the knee and surrendered, best I knew how, to Jesus Christ as my Lord. I understood that at that point He took up residence in my heart by His Holy Spirit [1], but my life didn\u2019t change for some time.<\/p>\n

I believe my conversion to be genuine, but I really didn\u2019t know how to follow Jesus as His disciple. What I saw around me was much like the kids I\u2019d avoided in elementary school; folks trying hard to follow rules they’d read about in the Bible.<\/p>\n

In 1985, things began to change. Susan and Louis Sutton, a couple in our church, asked my wife and I to be a part of a fellowship group. For about three years, before they began their missionary work in Chad, we did life together. During that time, I understood how completely different Christianity is from how I was living it.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d let following the rules become the most important thing.<\/p>\n

Though it took years for the truth to become a heart reality, the Suttons showed us that Christianity, at its essence, is about a relationship with Jesus, not following rules.<\/p>\n

The other stuff \u2014 the loving, the holy living, the following Jesus \u2014 flows out of my relationship with Him.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Putting the Cart Before the Horse<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

We\u2019ve heard the saying putting the cart before the horse. It\u2019s about putting things in the wrong order.<\/p>\n

Picture it for a moment. The cart is first, and the horse is behind it. How would we get anywhere? Does the horse push the cart?<\/p>\n

As bizarre as this sounds, thinking that following the rules secures our relationship with Jesus is just as ridiculous.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Righteousness is not because of anything we\u2019ve done, but all because of Christ\u2019s work on our behalf.<\/p>\n

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and ]that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9\u00a0<\/strong>not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10\u00a0<\/strong>For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them (Ephesians 2:8-10)<\/strong>.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

As we focus on our relationship with Jesus, not on keeping rules for Him, we follow Him out of love for Him, empowered by His Spirit.<\/p>\n

Prayer<\/span><\/h3>\n

Lord, please show me quickly when I once again lead with rule following as opposed to allowing what I say and do to flow from my relationship with You. You\u2019ve called me to fiercely love the folks you\u2019ve put in my life, regardless of how they treat me. I can\u2019t do that if I cut off the flow of Your love by focusing on following rules. <\/em><\/p>\n

I resolve to wait for You, to yield to You and to allow You to love through me.<\/em><\/p>\n

Amen,<\/em><\/p>\n

Your son<\/em><\/p>\n

Reflection<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Paul warned the Galatians about adopting a gospel of trying harder.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. <\/em><\/span>(Galatians 1:6-7<\/strong>)<\/em><\/p>\n

Galatians 2:21<\/strong><\/span> speaks of how ridiculous it is to try keeping the law to earn our righteousness:\u00a0I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t move quickly past the meaning of this verse. Us trying to earn God’s righteousness by following the law (rules), renders Christ’s death needless.<\/p>\n

We must be vigilant in our thinking. Does reading the Bible, serving at church, talking about Jesus, earn God’s approval? No. It can be very subtle in this achievement based society.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We must keep seeking to live in the flow of the Rivers of Living Water, [2] not in the dry and dusty land of self-effort. All our exhausting, self motivated rule keeping is worth nothing. [3]<\/p>\n

At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat.<\/span>\u00a0<\/sup>But when the Pharisees saw\u00a0this, they said to Him, \u201cLook, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/sup>But He said to them,\u00a0\u201cHave you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions,<\/span><\/span> how he entered the house of God, and they ate the\u00a0consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone?<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/sup>Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and are innocent?<\/span><\/span> But I say to you that something\u00a0greater than the temple is here.<\/span><\/span> But if you had known what this means, \u2018I\u00a0desire<\/span> compassion, and not a sacrifice<\/span>,\u2019 you would not have condemned the innocent. <\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/sup>For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em>(Matthew 12:1-8<\/strong>\u00a0NASB)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

[1] Ephesians 1:13-14<\/p>\n

[2] John 7:37-39<\/p>\n

[3] John 15:5<\/p>\n

Note: <\/strong>Unless otherwise noted, all referenced Scripture is from the NASB 1995 version of the Bible.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Other posts in our Everlasting Way Series:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Learning How to Overcome Emotional Numbness<\/a><\/p>\n

Embracing God\u2019s Amazing Love<\/a><\/p>\n

Are we More Like Batman or Spider-Man<\/a><\/p>\n

Transforming Awareness: The Power of God\u2019s Love<\/a><\/p>\n

Minding Your Busyness<\/a><\/p>\n

Our Deepest Longings Filled<\/a><\/p>\n

Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God\u2019s nearness in the midst of life\u2019s adventures.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Subscribe to get email notifications of new posts. We post a few times a month. Thank you for reading.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>\"\"<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
Robby Buck<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Nonfiction books by the Author:<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This collection of devotionals chronicles a heartfelt journey from a life of striving and self-reliance to one of growing surrender and trust in God.<\/p>\n

Through personal stories of family struggles, cancer, grief, and unexpected trials, the devotions show that true, unshakeable joy comes not from perfect circumstances, but from the constant, loving presence of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an invitation to learn to let go of our burdens and find growing peace in God\u2019s greater story.<\/p>\n

Finding Joy in Life\u2019s Moments<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Because joy is rooted in God and is eternal, it doesn\u2019t ebb and flow with the waves of circumstances. In fact, as we grow in our understanding of joy, we can even experience it more acutely when life is hard. Why? Because God uses trials to conform us into the image of Christ. With this awareness, which gives us glimpses of God\u2019s greater purposes, we rejoice because of His masterful work to free us from needing anything but Him.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

For these reasons, and many others, joy in the Lord is commanded in scripture. It\u2019s not just a good idea, it\u2019s vital to our journey as human beings.\u00a0Rhythms of Joy<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Novels by the Author:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

What happens when a professor figures out how to send messages to his younger self to try and avoid the suicide of his best friend? Did he change more than he bargained for?\u00a0\u00a0Beyond Time<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

By finding two undelivered letters in an old shack deep in the woods, Cassie and Daniel unknowingly set off a series of events which uncovers a plot to wipe out a whole family.\u00a0Hope Remains<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Please Check out the\u00a0\u00a0Cola City Podcast<\/a>\u00a0. Discussions that impact the vision of reaching every man, woman, and child in a city.<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Bible Belt<\/p>\n

In the south, we tend to all call ourselves Christian, without really knowing what it means. Growing up, I was no different. On Sunday mornings, my sister, brother and I would cut the volume down on our 4-channel, rabbit ear antenna bearing television.<\/p>\n

The plan was to stay quiet long enough not to wake Mom. If we made it until Rocky and Bullwinkle came on, we were safe. There wouldn\u2019t be enough time to get dressed and ready for church. Mom didn\u2019t like to be late.<\/p>\n

Living near a fundamental, legalistic, Christian college didn\u2019t help my dislike of religion. Some kids of the students attended my elementary school. I judged them for the way they looked and acted. They dressed so prim and proper. And because they didn\u2019t join in our mischievous ideas of fun, they seemed stuffy and joyless. I felt judged by them. But looking back, I was the one who was doing the judging.<\/p>\n

In my eyes, they were a \u201cborn again,\u201d \u201cholier than thou\u201d brand of Christianity I wanted no part of. Besides, I \u201cbelieved\u201d in Jesus. I\u2019d tried to live a good life. I\u2019d murdered no one or robbed a bank. I figured my slot in heaven was secure.<\/p>\n

Searching for Joy<\/p>\n

While in college, I realized that all the things I thought would bring me lasting joy, left me feeling empty. I knew a relationship with God was the answer, but I didn’t know how that worked.<\/p>\n

My best friend, who had recently given His life to Christ, talked to me about how my \u201cgood works\u201d would not get me to heaven. He said it was because of what Jesus did, not my following rules. Using the following verse, he convinced me that my present lifestyle was not one which reflected that I was truly a Christian:<\/p>\n

You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn\u00a0bushes\u00a0nor figs from thistles, are they?\u00a017\u00a0So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit (Matthew 7:16-17).<\/p>\n

But I didn\u2019t understand why Christ would accept me because of my party lifestyle. This kind of grace seemed so foreign. Again, basing my conclusion on my faulty thinking that God loves us based on what we do.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, in 1977, I bent the knee and surrendered, best I knew how, to Jesus Christ as my Lord. I understood that at that point He took up residence in my heart by His Holy Spirit [1], but my life didn\u2019t change for some time.<\/p>\n

I believe my conversion to be genuine, but I really didn\u2019t know how to follow Jesus as His disciple. What I saw around me was much like the kids I\u2019d avoided in elementary school; folks trying hard to follow rules they’d read about in the Bible.<\/p>\n

In 1985, things began to change. Susan and Louis Sutton, a couple in our church, asked my wife and I to be a part of a fellowship group. For about three years, before they began their missionary work in Chad, we did life together. During that time, I understood how completely different Christianity is from how I was living it.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d let following the rules become the most important thing.<\/p>\n

Though it took years for the truth to become a heart reality, the Suttons showed us that Christianity, at its essence, is about a relationship with Jesus, not following rules.<\/p>\n

The other stuff \u2014 the loving, the holy living, the following Jesus \u2014 flows out of my relationship with Him.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Putting the Cart Before the Horse<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":865,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3484],"tags":[317,401,3488,2532,2528,489,800,2526,3495,999,1862,2530,2523,2534,2535,430,98,2521,2531,18,510,134,2513,3490,1089,2522,3491,3489,1066,2516,3492,2529,1696,100,2533,2524,3494,3486,2519,2518,3054,3487,2520,2517,1087,624,2527,3485,2525],"class_list":["post-7598","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-being-like-jesus-flows-from-our-relationship-with-him","tag-believe","tag-born-again","tag-bullwinkle","tag-cart-before-the-horse","tag-chad","tag-church","tag-disciple","tag-elementary-school","tag-ephesian-28-10","tag-ephesians-113-14","tag-exhausted","tag-fellowship-group","tag-fundamental","tag-galatians","tag-galatians-16-7","tag-galatians-221","tag-heaven","tag-holier-than-thou","tag-holy-living","tag-holy-spirit","tag-jesus-christ","tag-john-155","tag-john-737-39","tag-joyless","tag-joyless-rules","tag-judgemental","tag-judging","tag-legalistic","tag-loving-people","tag-matthew-121-8","tag-matthew-716-17","tag-missionaries","tag-missionary","tag-parenting","tag-perfection","tag-prim-and-proper","tag-putting-the-cart-before-the-horse","tag-rabbit-ear-tv-antenna","tag-rabbit-ears","tag-relationship","tag-religion","tag-rocky","tag-rocky-and-bullwinkle","tag-rules","tag-searching-for-joy","tag-surrender","tag-susan-and-louis-sutton","tag-the-bible-belt","tag-wanton-life"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7598","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7598"}],"version-history":[{"count":27,"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7598\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7877,"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7598\/revisions\/7877"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7598"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7598"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7598"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}