Freedom While Living in the Box

For the last month, I have been thinking about and teaching about living within God's will. God's will provides boundaries for us to live and thrive within. Anytime you read God's Word and you see a command that applies to you, it is one of many boundaries that form God's will. Here is the kicker...I have been teaching that there is freedom when you live within the boundaries of God will. Conversely, if you live outside those boundaries you actually find bondage! At first glance you might think the opposite is true. You might say that living within a box (God's will) is bondage, but lets take a deeper look at it. What is the purpose of God's will? Is it to suffocate your life just so God can sit on His throne and watch you suffer? Some might think so, but no! Actually, the opposite is true. The designer of life (God) knows just how life is to be lived to its fullest from an eternal perspective. His will helps you to find the most joy and satisfaction out of this life because you begin living life as it was intended from an eternal perspective! Lets take a look at one of many specific examples... Is drinking alcohol sin? No, but being drunk is, therefore, drunkenness is a boundary that should not be crossed. So what happens when you cross that boundary? Do you not find bondage? Do you not find an addiction to a substance that ruins many peoples life, because you do and say things you would not normally do and say? Is this not bondage? There is freedom within the boundary of God's will relative to alcohol. Consume but be self-controlled... Many people enjoy a glass of wine with their meal or a bottle of beer every once in a while. That is within God's will. I will also say that there is wisdom to be exercised within God's will as well. We could take all kinds of issues like this and show how living outside God's will is actually bondage, but that would take many words. The other day, Trish (my wife) came to me and showed me a passage in Psalm 119 that she ran across that affirmed this principle, and I thought I would share.

"May Your unfailing love come to me, O Lord, Your salvation according to Your promise; then I will answer the one who taunts me, for I trust in Your Word.
Do not snatch the Word of Truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in Your laws.
I will always obey Your law, for ever and ever.
I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out Your precepts.
I will speak of Your statutes before Kings and will not be put to shame, for I delight in Your commands because I love them.
I lift up my hands to Your commands, which I love, and I meditate on Your decreed."
Psalm 119:41-48

I would encourage you to think about God's commands and take an honest look at whether God is trying to suffocate you or give you freedom. Personally, I find His commands (His will) to be not just freeing, but a delight when I obey. I was going to blog about obedience and our propensity to rebel, but I thought this foundation needed to be laid first. Tomorrow I will explore that idea, but for today consider God's commands and evaluate them for yourself.

Comments

Anonymous said…
thanks i needed this so much!
January 15, 2009 at 8:31 AM
DaveH said…
Amen! Hey John, I also know what it's like to have a God given wife. It's awesome.
January 15, 2009 at 1:10 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Navigating a Culture of "Pride" as a Christian

 June has been known as Pride Month ever since President Bill Clinton announced it back in 1999, and it has gained more and more steam since, particularly in the last 5 years.  It has made its way into small towns, into schools, and into the faith community as well.  In many ways it has become the loudest voice of the culture we live in, especially in the month of June.  It is a topic all over social media, the film industry, and media itself.  The agenda to normalize issues such as homosexuality and gender identity is pervasive.  You can hardly watch a series on main stream television, much less cable tv, without being confronted with these issues.  Some of the most prominent influences and influencers are now targeting children as their primary audience.  All of this has quickly shaped our culture, and anyone who thinks that the bombardment of these influences do not really have an effect on people, I would challenge them to learn about marketing.  The developments in the past 10 yea
Read more

Humanism in Christian Clothing

 I find myself more and more baffled by some of the things that I see posted on social media and how it seems to connect with so many.  I saw a post that quoted a pastor that said, "When your spirituality denies someone's humanity, it isn't spirituality, it's hatred wrapped up in religiosity."  The post attributes this to Mark Sandlin.  I don't know this pastor, if he really said it, or what the context was surrounding the quote.  However, it would seem reasonable to assume that the individual posting the quote was implying that if your spirituality leads you to conclude that homosexuality, transgenderism, or any other LGTBQ+ issue is sin, and you don't think it is the public schools job to normalize this, then you are denying someone's humanity, thus your spirituality is really not spirituality... it is hatred wrapped in religiosity.  This is a really odd statement for several reasons. 1.  What makes something spiritual?  Who defines what this is?  Is
Read more

Why Israel Still Matters in God's Plan

When someone professes faith in Christ and becomes a Christian, they enter in what the Scriptures calls the New Covenant.  This New Covenant is considered a greater covenant than the Old Covenant or Mosaic Covenant.  The Jewish people related to God through the Old Covenant for thousands of years.  Ultimately, this covenant pointed out one very important truth about life... Mankind naturally turns away from the living God and proves incapable of keeping the righteous demands of a Holy God.  As Biblical history unfolds, we find that Israel quickly abandon God and worshiped the gods of the surrounding nations.  They would have momentary bright spots, but even in those bright spots, the rebellious heart of man was on full display (King David anyone?).  The Law itself pointed out man's inability to keep the law and draws people to see that they need God's mercy.  Summary - Mankind needs a Savior because he sure can't save himself.   This is where Jesus comes in as a mediator of
Read more