Have you ever tried to kayak in the ocean? It's easy when you start, as you paddle and the kayak cuts through the waves. But as you go along, the current starts to push against the bow of the kayak, gently pushing you off course. You try and correct, but you're fighting against something powerful, something steady, and as soon as you relax, the front of the kayak begins to turn and you're drifting off course. You have to be constantly vigilant, or you'll never be able to go in a straight line.
Following Christ every day is a hard thing to do. There are so many cultural forces that slowly push us off course -- it might seem negligible at first, but little by little, that drift starts to add up. If you try and guilt yourself into doing right, you can resist some of the current, but over time you'll be exhausted. Guilt won't do it.
Love will, however. When we fall in love with God, and recognize that the laws given to us are given because God loves us, and because God wants the best for us, then we're willing to fight to stay on course. Love is strong enough to keep us pointed forwards. We don't have to be perfect -- Christ assures us of that -- but when we love God and turn to the Gospel as something sweet for us, then we go to God out of joy, every day, seeking to praise God.
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