What if boundaries weren’t limitations but liberties? What if these guidelines from God weren’t to confine us but rather they existed to protect us and release us?
The Bible is full of exciting principles that we can study, learn, understand & put into practice so we can experience life that is over the top. Embracing the idea of faith is in your best interest.
John 10:10 The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it [a]overflows) (Amplified)
The enemy wants you to buy into attitudes that hold you captive to destructive patterns that ultimately cost your life.
When you buy a pair of scissors you have the right to run with them but it’s not wise to do so. When you buy a bag of fertilizer you have the right to eat that fertilizer but it’s not wise to do so. There are a lot of things you have the right to do and you can fight for those rights. However, examining God’s point of view on the matter will greatly enhance your life.
Jude 1:21 Stay always within the boundaries where God’s love can reach and bless you… (TLB)
God’s not trying to keep you from enjoying life. God’s providing boundaries that sustain freedom and produce life. These are boundary issues and we must be willing to acknowledge God’s boundaries as the best solutions for our lives. This is why reading and obeying Scripture is so vital to true life.
We had an exchange student living with us from Mexico years ago. Salvador was in the bathroom as we were all in the living room when we heard him screaming, gagging and spitting. With very little English at his disposal we rushed into the room to inquire. He was standing over the toilet spitting and gagging saying, “Bad! Very bad!” We would learn that he attempted to brush his teeth that morning using jock itch cream. Sometimes not reading the instructions can put you in a very difficult situation. The Bible is God’s loving instruction booklet for our lives.
We interact with boundaries every day all day. Running a red light may create an accident. You might get away with it for a while but somewhere at some time if you continue to violate the boundaries you and others will suffer. This is exactly what it’s like when we begin violating boundaries of God’s Word. The reality is that boundaries sustain freedom and produce life. The next time you cross a bridge be thankful for boundaries. If it weren’t for those bridges, rails and lines you’d be creeping across trying not to hit oncoming traffic and trying not to drive off the side. BOUNDARIES ARE IN YOUR BEST INTEREST!!!
People actively involved in serving in their church, according to The University of Virginia are less likely to get a divorce. People serving in church increase life expectancy by 8 years, have less incidents of depression and are less likely to experience a major illness.
Sometimes it seems like the Bible is full of rules and guidelines that try to stifle our lives. The reality is that these guidelines produce life and protect God’s children.
Exod 23:19 “Don’t cook a young goat in its mother’s milk. NIV
To boil a goat in milk may have been more convenient than roasting it over an open fire. There would have been no skewing, turning and ensuring that it was evenly roasted. However, the Bible seems to spoil ease of just putting the goat in a pot of boiling milk until it’s cooked. Now we know that the bacterial substance of the milk would actually be absorbed into the meat. The meat takes longer to digest so the bacterial substance remains in the body longer than if you’re merely drinking milk. This can actually poison the person and they can die. God was trying to protect the people with his loving guideline.
Lev 12:3 On the eighth day the boy is to be circumcised. NIV
We now know that it takes seven days for the babies immune system to develop after being severed from the mother’s immune system. Perhaps it was more convenient to get this all taken care of as the baby was being born. However, without the sterile conditions of today’s hospitals, many babies would die if they didn’t wait until the eighth day. This is when their immune systems were developed enough to fight infection. God was trying to protect the children with his loving guidelines.
According to the National Cancer Institute, “Women are 150% more likely to have breast cancer if they had an abortion as a teen.[1]
What if the world we live in simply has a perspective of the pursuit of life that is all wrong? What if we have bought into a system that is leading us down a pathway that will leave us empty and disappointed no matter what we accomplish?
World famous novelist Jack Higgins made $85,000,000 last year equaling almost $1/4 million per day! When asked, “What is it you now know that you wish you’d known as a younger man” he responded without hesitation, “I wish I had known that when you get to the top there is nothing there!”
Boris Becker after winning his 2nd Wimbledon victory was asked what his greatest challenge was in life to which he responded, “To keep from committing suicide.”
Dion Sanders was asked why he became a Christian. He explained saying, “The night we won the Super bowl I ordered a Lamborghini and went to bed. Lying in bed thinking about having achieved everything I’d ever wanted to achieve I realized just how empty I truly was. That was the night I got on my knees and gave my life to Jesus. Only God is big enough to fill his heart of mine!”
Oprah once spoke of how she battles depression by writing in a gratitude journal. This is a person who flies around in a $42 million custom jet with a personal chef, mansions, summer homes and so much money she has $30 million in her will to go to her dogs. How in the world could she ever have a hint of depression? We were born for more than the best this world can offer.
God’s plan is for us to live within the boundaries of obedience. In this place of obeying God and walking out his plan our lives possess meaning that awakens purpose. Without the eternal purpose of God awakened in our lives we will find ourselves striving for fulfillment that is just beyond our reach all the days of our lives.
[1] Daling J, Malone K, et al. Risk of breast cancer among young women: relationship to induced abortion. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1994; 86: 1584-1592.