LAW OF LOVE

of love LAW

God’s law was given many years ago. Does it still have relevance for us today?

BY BRIANNA WATSON

Potatoes, pigeons and disrupting a wedding. Struggling to find a connection? Each of these objects or actions is the basis for somewhat strange pieces of Australian legislation still in effect today!

Thinking of selling or purchasing more than 50kg of potatoes in Western Australia? Well at that quantity these tasty little morsels could land you with a $A2000 fine under Section 22 of the Marketing of Potatoes Act 1946. And injuring a homing pigeon in Victoria or South Australia is a definite offence under the respective Summary Offences Act of those states. Finally, in South Australia, obstructing or disturbing a wedding, funeral or any religious service is an offence attracting a maximum penalty of $10,000 or two years’ imprisonment (Summary Offences Act 1953 (SA) Section 7A).

Curiosity satisfied but what do these laws have to do with the law of God? Answer: Not a lot. They are merely examples of dated legislation, laws that made greater sense in past social contexts than they do today.

So is this true of God’s law? Do laws handwritten on tablets of stone (commonly known as the Ten Commandments) and delivered to the Israelites all those millennia ago truly still hold relevance for our lives today? Laws passed from God to man, generation to generation— inscribed on stone and parchment, printed on paper and projected onto screens.

For me, my answer is yes! I wholeheartedly believe these laws continue to be relevant today.

Growing up as the youngest and only girl (with two brothers who towered over me in both age and height) led to an education of observation—watching both the actions and resulting consequences of my brothers’ behaviour. Like a miniature scientist (minus the lab coat), I would watch my brothers test the limits and learned where each and every line was placed so years later, when my turn came, I didn’t have to risk searching for it. For the Israelites, their experience was not the same. Their role in history paralleled the role of my brothers. Pioneers in the desert. After being

captives in Egypt, held as slaves for such a long time, their decision-making abilities were impeded, along with their capacity for self-care. Much like the care my parents took in raising their children and teaching us how to care for ourselves, God, as the Israelites’ Father, gave them His law as an act of love. As a hands-on parent, God inscribed these guidelines with His own finger, passing them to His children for their benefit and protection (Exodus 31:18).

That love is “ God’s law presthe same love that God has for us today; and those same Commandments are God knew the future intended for our benefit and when He gave humanity protection, as the Ten Commandments they were for the Israelites all those years ago. While our situation has changed— our technology and education—our need for a Saviour remains. Unlike laws written by men who cannot know the future, God knew the future when He gave humanity the Ten Commandments. He knew how the world would transform and He knew that we would still need His guidance to protect us from our own destructive tendencies. Our physical environment has changed, but our spiritual needs remain. God knew this when He gave us His law all those years ago. The purpose of God’s law is to guide us through life. Knowing and understanding God’s law is almost akin to your teacher allowing you to take a “cheat sheet” into your exam, containing the formulas you will need for the scenarios you will face. But is God’s law a ticket or a barrier? Does following God’s law grant you a place in heaven? Or does the inability to always follow ent an obstacle to eternal life? Personally, I do not subscribe to either of these theories. God’s law is neither a ticket, nor a barrier. We cannot earn our way to heaven or eternal life by keeping God’s law, because if this was the requirement, no-one would be there. Nothing that we can do, on our own, is capable of earning us eternal life. “For by grace you have been saved through faith . . . it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8,9 NKJV)1. Eternal life is not something God offers to those who earn it or work the hardest, but is instead a question of faith. What

does faith mean? Accepting that God as our Creator sent His Son Jesus to save us from death and evil, and accepting Jesus’ gift of His life is all it takes. No fine print and no expiry date. This process is not possible because of anything that we have done or will do. Jesus’ death and life on our behalf is the greatest gift, an undeserved gift that we are incapable of returning back to Him.

God’s law has been crafted by the Creator of the universe, the Creator of you and of me. You don’t question the washing instructions that come with a new clothing purchase because you know that the manufacturer knows best what their product is made of and how to care for it. So why do we question our Creator, who knows what we are made of and how to care for us?

Jesus lived a life that fulfilled the law. He claimed in Matthew 5:17 that the purpose of His mission on Earth was not to overthrow or destroy the law of God, but to fulfil it. He lived a life in harmony with God’s law and challenged human beings to live a life that was not just about outward appearances of obedience, but to think about why we do what we do. He used the example of how being angry in your heart is just like murder. God’s law says do not murder, but Jesus challenged us to expand the definition of murder, saying that if we wished to murder someone in our heart, it was just as bad, causing us to hold onto bitterness—it is against the principle or spirit of God’s law. Jesus, reflecting on God’s law against adultery, said that if we lust after someone in our minds, it is like we have done the deed we imagined. Jesus was pointing to the fact that we can’t really keep the law, not without God. But He could. As an example of a life lived in constant communication with God and harmony with God’s will, Jesus succeeded in keeping the law, where we as human beings would fail.

Jesus knew the best way for us to live was in harmony with the principles of God. And that God’s law could be boiled down to two main concepts: love God and love others.

This is a recipe for fulfilment. Jesus ends His discussion of God’s laws in Matthew 5 and 6 (commonly known as the “Sermon on the Mount”) with the encouragement to His followers not to worry about anything because God is in control and cares what happens to each and every one.

Following God’s law can provide a sense of purpose and security.

What a difference it makes when we decide to wholeheartedly trust the Creator; to humbly accept His will and to follow His law of love—the law of God. Want to know more? Send us a line at <info@signsofthetimes.org.au>.

Brianna Watson is a policy officer for the Australian Government in Canberra where she is married and is a dog mum.

1. Verses marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

Recent statistics suggest many people are considering a career change. Before you hand in your resignation letter, there are a few things worth considering.

BY KOREY DOWLING

Health impacts aside, Covid-19 has provided many people with the opportunity to reset that 70 per cent of people say they define their life purpose through work. Purpose, however, is split and re-evaluate what is important to them. Considering Gettysburg College claims at least a third of your life is spent working, it is important that you find a fulfilling career. “The Great Resignation” has been making headlines recently with an estimated 25 per cent of Australians looking to re-assess their work options by either switching roles at their work to some-

thing that “ for. If your better fulfils their needs, or by resigning altogether. While the It's important to jury is still carefully analyse why out whether “The Great you are thinking of Resignation” is a long-term leaving your job phenomenon, this is an opportunity for every individual to stop and evaluate their own career and decide: Is this what I really want to be doing? If not, what can I do about it? Here are some things to consider before making a radical career shift. find purpose

If you’re able to find purpose in your job, you are much more likely to be fully engaged and loving what you do. Research conducted by McKinsey Global Institute found into individual and organisational purpose. Knowing your individual purpose is quite important in helping to guide the key decisions about why you want/need to work, what career you will find fulfilling and the type of organisation you want to work for. Having an idea of what is driving you will help you understand the type of work and organisation you should be aiming purpose is found in motivating factors like providing the resources needed to support your family or giving you the means to travel, then finding an organisation that unequivocally aligns with your values and beliefs may not be as critical. However, if your driving force is more intrinsic— if you can work for an organisation that you believe in—you are far more likely to love what you do! We all have aspects of our jobs that don’t excite us, but if you can see that even the less desirable tasks are still helping to contribute to a greater purpose, you’re more likely to find meaning and satisfaction in those tasks.

research

Before you decide to hand in your resignation, it’s important to double check what the employment market is doing in your industry area. Regardless of what media outlets are calling it, “The Great Resignation” may not necessarily be happening in your work field. This means that opportunities may not be as plentiful as you thought they might be. Research popular job sites for key positions and assess if there is a growing opportunity for a shift in roles. Reach out to key networks in your vocation and understand the real-world situation.

the grass is not always greener

It’s important to carefully analyse why you are thinking of leaving your job. Is it because you’re not getting along with your manager? Do you feel you’re not being valued? Are you looking for a company with a different purpose? Analysing your desire to leave will assist you with articulating what you’re looking for, and help you decide if it’s truly better elsewhere—or maybe the grass on this side isn’t so bad after all. Be sure to have a longer-term view of your career progression. Jumping careers is not always advisable and certainly depends on the reason for the jump. Reach out to trusted mentors in your vocation to get a better picture of what it takes to progress in that area.

think before you quit

It’s easier to find a new job while

you already have a job. Unfortunately, bias is still a real issue where candidates are unfairly judged for being out of work. Also, some employers view employees who are unemployed as a red flag, without taking the time to dive deeper into the reasons why an individual is between opportunities. When you are currently employed and searching for a job, you can appear to be a little harder to get, and therefore more attractive to the prospective employer.

preparing to job seek

A lot of the hard work in acquiring a new job is done before the interview. Researching prospective organisations is a crucial step in preparing yourself for the recruitment process. In your particular vocation, it is good to know what trends are occurring in that field: 1. Have there been any significant changes in your sector over the last five years? 2. What are the larger organisations in the sector doing (think mergers and acquisitions etc)? 3. Are there any recent legislative changes that will affect the sector? 4. What are the latest innovations affecting the sector?

Once you’re clearer on the sector-wide information, start specifically researching the individual organisations which you are seeking to join: 1. Know who the key personnel are. 2. Understand the organisation’s mission statement and organisational values. 3. Try to access any organisation reports and strategy documents to get a picture of where they are currently at, and an understanding of where they might be headed. 4. Visit the “About us” page of their website as well as social media platforms to get a picture of current news, events and information.

job application

One common mistake that job seekers make is to create a generic resume and use that same resume for every job application. Your job application should specifically address and connect with the relevant job advertisement. According to HR Dive, recruiters spend an average 7.4 seconds reviewing a job application. You need to ensure that the key information they are looking for is readily accessible. Ensure that the

minimum requirements for the role (qualifications and experience) are easy to view by using a format that provides this information near the top of the resume. There are many resources online, such as Novoresume, which can assist you. It is also important that the key words referenced in the job advertisement are also found in your resume. Many organisations use automated Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) which automatically scan your resume for desired key words. If you can’t match them, you are less likely to be selected to progress to the next round.

interview

Once you are at the interview stage, a lot of the hard work has been done! You have a clear understanding of the organisation’s mission and values, as well as knowledge of who the key people are. Also, because you have shaped your job application to specifically suit the requirements of the role, you have a better grasp of what they might be looking for. All you need to do now is ace the interview. To adequately prepare for the questions they might ask you, think about your own experiences, both work and personal, and how they might relate to the position. It is quite likely that the interviewers will ask you questions like “tell me about a time when you managed a project to completion; interacted with a difficult co-worker; were faced with a problem you couldn’t solve” etc. Thinking through your work experience or personal/study experiences and thinking of examples that might be relevant in a new role will help you prepare for these types of questions.

So, before you hand in your notice, be sure to stop and think about what is important to you and what it is about your current job that is prompting you to look elsewhere. As it says in Proverbs 15:22, “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.” Seek the guidance of trusted people around you. If you decide to start the job search process after that, be sure to do your research and adequately prepare to maximise your chances of landing your dream job.

Korey Dowling works as VP People and Culture at ADRA International. Originally from Brisbane, in his current role he lives and works in Maryland, United States.