Live within or struggle without

How joyful are those who fear the Lord and delight in obeying his commands. Such people will not be overcome by evil. Those who are righteous will be long remembered. They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them. They are confident and fearless and can face their foes triumphantly. They share freely and give generously to those in need. Their good deeds will be remembered forever. They will have influence and honor. (Psalm 112:1, 5-9)

Serve God and obey his commands. There is great reward in living according to the standards God lays out for us in his Word. Nothing outdoes the grace of God, no one outdoes his love. Evil abounds, but those who choose to walk with Jesus will never be overcome by that evil. How do we recognize evil? Is it always right 'out there and in our face'? No, certainly not - sometimes it is an undercurrent, an attitude, a cleverly disguised argument. The Word of God actually helps us recognize the undercurrent, avoiding the pull of that current. It also helps us see the attitude even before it infects the masses. We need the wisdom God provides in his Word, but we also need the will to do as wisdom suggests!

Delight in obedience - that almost seems like an oxymoron. How many times do we struggle with obedience instead of 'delighting' in it? To delight indicates we actually 'enjoy' or find deep satisfaction in those acts of obedience. Let's be honest here - not every action of obedience is easy, nor is it immediately 'delightful'. Sometimes it is downright hard, kind of 'out there', and requires more than lip-service. In fact, if we are to live 'obedient lives', we need to recognize our 'confidence' is not in our own ability to live obediently but is in Christ's enabling power within us. The godly recognize when the path isn't good for them, but the obedient do more than recognize a wrong path - they actually avoid it, help others know not to take it, and point out a better path.

Those who delight in the commands of God find themselves surrounded with a peace that isn't 'equal' to the circumstances around them. In fact, it surpasses the circumstances! Bad news comes, foes line up to make an attack, and the godly find themselves secure in the peace of God. Why? Nothing moves us out of God's protection - nothing except our own will! Choose to live inside God's boundaries and you soon recognize there is a 'blessing' in living within those 'walls'. Choose to constantly put your toe across the line and you will soon find your 'security' and 'peace' is disturbed. Why? God knows a 'disturbed peace' is a means by which we recognize having 'violated' a boundary. Trust that 'feeling' you call a 'lack of peace' and seek to get back within those boundaries!

Delight in obedience - it is possible because when we actively choose to incorporate the truths of God into our daily lives, we are going to find we face life's circumstances with a different attitude and a whole lot more grace than when we do outside of his 'commands'. I don't know about you, but I have chosen to 'live within' rather than 'struggle without'. Just sayin!

Fairing Well

Rules exist for our safety - at least that is what I have been told repeatedly. Can we really say we always play by the rules? Or that we actually "enjoy" the rules? Truth be told, most of us resist the rules on occasion, or think they are not really pertinent to our lives, so we don't embrace them as we should. If I didn't own a handgun, all laws (rules) applying to firearms wouldn't really apply to me. Yet, I could go out today and acquire one - making those rules ever so important for me to understand. I don't have to become acquainted with the rules until I need to use them within my life - convenient, huh? Most of us deal with most of God's rules in life in this manner - if there is not a clear-cut reason for them right now in the "here and now", then they are good to have, but we don't go out of our way to learn them. Even when these rules are God's rules, we don't need to know them fully to understand they still apply to us!

I enjoy following your rules as much as others enjoy great riches. (Psalm 119:14)

A rule is something which is in place to govern our actions - it is to be the observed practice in the lives of those under that rule. Here in my area, the speed limit on the freeways is predominantly 65 miles per hour. There are a few stretches which are 55 miles per hour, but for the most part they remain at 65. Now, how many folks actually slow down when they hit those slower sectors? Not many! It is as though the "rule" is a suggestion, not a requirement - UNTIL you see the speed trap with the radar gun ahead! Then watch the brake lights come on! What is the difference? As long as no one enforces the rules, we don't think they really matter to us! Do you know why speed limits are set the way they are? It is usually because of the flow of traffic in and out of the lanes of that busy part of the freeway - slowing down traffic makes it easier for merging traffic to enter the freeway, but also it makes it safer!

Rules are to govern our actions, keep us safe, and may not immediately appear to affect us on the surface, but if not observed, can place both us and those around us in danger. Perhaps this will give us a different outlook on the rules God establishes for our lives and records for us in scripture. Maybe we don't know all the reasoning behind those rules, but we can be sure they are there for the reasons stated above! We don't need to know the reason behind each and every "rule", but we should embrace them all with equal enthusiasm because they are both for our protection and our well-being.

Protection is one thing - well-being is another. Protection is the preservation from harm or injury. Well-being is what we might call our "state of affairs". As long as we can say our "well-being" is good, we are describing a state of life in which there is perhaps health, good fortune, prosperity, or what some might call "fairing well". God's "rules" or "commands" are there for both! There is nothing onerous about his "rules" when we begin to think of them this way. They are there to protect us from harm or injury - this is indeed a desirable state, is it not? They are there to bring us into places of "fairing well", no matter what the challenges are we might face. This is indeed a much better state than we could produce on our own, isn't it?

No wonder our psalmist says he follows God's rules like some others might pursue the riches of this world! He has come to realize there is much more value in living according to the standards God lays out for his life than there is in pursuing the things which don't last. If we embrace ALL the rules, even those we don't know or think apply to us at this moment, we will indeed "fair well" in this life. Just sayin!F

Seek First HIM

 The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. (Deuteronomy 6:5-7)

The Lord alone... Is he the only one you serve? A tough question this morning, but one which I think we all need to consider. Is he really first and foremost in our lives? If we might know how to answer that one, then we must consider the next portion of our passage. Do we love him with ALL our heart, or is our heart divided? Do we commit all our mind, will, and emotions to him, are we carried away by all manner of folly? Is our commitment to his commandments (rules for living) 'whole-hearted'? If we are able to answer these questions with a resounding 'yes', then we are likely putting Christ first in our lives. If not, we need not despair, because God is giving ALL of us a chance to give him that place of authority in our lives. 

Commit yourselves wholeheartedly... We might struggle from time to time with our focus, but God knows the intention and 'bent' of our heart, will, and emotions. He knows we face temptation after temptation, and he also knows we don't always resist them. What he is looking for is not 'perfection', but commitment to his standards of living. Are we choosing to do more than just 'consider' them? Have we made them the standard by which we measure our thoughts and actions? Why does God ask us to repeat his commandments (standards for living) over and over again? He knows we will need the reminders about right choices, keeping the right leadership in our lives, and maintaining a right mindset to overcome those temptations!

The principle is to 'seek first' God - then all will be added into our lives. We don't always know why these standards are so important in our lives, but if we trust him to always be good toward us, then we know whatever he asks of us by laying out these standards for living has to be good. The thing he asks of us is to continually refresh our minds with these standards - so our hearts will constantly be directed toward right steps. Most of the bad decisions we make in life are because we didn't seek him first in those actions. Just sayin!

Life Hack #4 - Within or Without

Life Hack #4:

Keep those boundaries - but you have to know them before you can keep them! Boundaries are really nothing more than a dividing line. We have all kinds of "dividing lines" in life, don't we? Some are quite real - like those drawn for the purposes of playing a sport on the field. Others are set up in our minds - not specifically clear to others, but definitely clear to us. The problem comes when someone wants to move one of those boundaries - stretching it or reducing it in some manner. We feel a little threatened, challenged, or overcome by this attempt to move the "markers", don't we? 

Don’t stealthily move back the boundary lines staked out long ago by your ancestors. (Proverbs 22:28)

In Old Testament times, they did not have surveyors with highly technical laser point imaging tools to assist in laying out boundary lines. They'd use landmarks or "markers" of sorts to indicate a boundary. They'd say the boundary limit was the mountain range to the east or the river to the west. If they had no such "visible" limit, they'd set up some kind of pile of stones or pillar. That "pile" would stand as a marker to indicate the point of boundary. 

There are also boundary lines of different sorts which we often refer to as rules or commandments. The Ten Commandments were given as "protective boundaries" in our lives. They were never meant to be "laborious" or "impossible" to keep but were designed to assist us in remaining in a place of safety - spiritually, physically, emotionally, and 'relationally'. This is all that God's "rules" really are anyway - like guardrails on a winding highway, they keep us safe from going over the edge!

One thing is certain - boundaries are not to be moved! We cannot dispute the "ownership" of a particular piece of property because the boundary lines establish that ownership. The boundary lines we choose to live within in our own lives often show who has been declared the "owner" of our lives! Live within God's boundaries and we are showing he is the owner of our life. Choose to constantly be moving those boundary lines and we reveal the ownership is really ours and not his. This doesn't seem very significant, but we often move boundaries little by little, almost as though we'd hope nobody would notice them being moved. In truth, God catches each subtle movement of the boundaries, and he is grieved when we push them away, or even "fudge the line" a little.

Learning to trust the boundaries God establishes for our lives is part of growing up in Jesus. Trusting him enough to stay within those established boundaries is a matter of maturity - not moving those lines is a matter of obedience. Boundaries established early in our walk with Jesus are not meant to be moved later on - they may become clearer as we walk with him, but once established, they are to be honored. Just sayin!

Rule-Maker Focused

Do not snatch your word of truth from me, for your regulations are my only hope. I will keep on obeying your instructions forever and ever. I will walk in freedom, for I have devoted myself to your commandments. I will speak to kings about your laws, and I will not be ashamed. How I delight in your commands! How I love them! I honor and love your commands. I meditate on your decrees. (Psalm 119:43-48)

As I have mentioned on other occasions, it can be hard to keep 'rules' - some believing that God's commandments are merely a set of 'rules' that must be kept or else. It is the 'or else' that keeps them constantly striving to 'do' as the commandments require, but if we live our lives with an 'or else' kind of faith, we are always going to be looking over our shoulders or fearing the hammer is about to fall. Yes, God is a God of justice. Yes, he has laid out his commandments or 'spiritual rules' for each of us to clearly understand. He has NOT left us powerless to 'live within' the boundaries of his commandments, though. We don't 'do' obedience - we 'live' obedience. There is a difference. The difference comes in the attitude of heart toward the 'rule' or commandment. If we are constantly living in fear of 'not keeping the rule' to the letter of the rule, we are living with chains on - bound to the rule. We are meant to be heart-bound to the one who gives the rules, not soul-bound to the rule itself. What is established when a surveyor sets out a marker of boundaries for the builder? Is it not showing the builder the area of land that is 'safe' for the work that needs to be done? The builder begins to work 'within' those boundaries because the 'scale' and 'scope' of the work is established by those boundaries.

The boundaries God gives in our lives (his commandments) are meant to help us stay within the 'scale' and 'scope' of work, play, and relationships he knows will allow us to enjoy our lives. The 'scope' is our 'space of movement' - within the boundaries, we can move as freely as we like. As soon as we start to approach the limits of those boundaries, we begin to encroach upon territory not declared to be ours. It could be because it will be unsafe for us to traverse that territory - we aren't ready for it, aren't mature enough to explore it, or it will not produce good things within our lives. To push beyond the boundaries into what is not within our 'scope' is indeed unwise. The 'scale' determines the extend or range of activities that are deemed to be safe for us within those boundaries. Some might think of this as the 'spectrum' of things that are 'okay' for us to explore. The boundaries God establishes through his commands may not leave a lot of wiggle room for us - such as don't steal, don't commit adultery, and don't covet. Then there could be a little bit of wiggle room for some other things - such as do I get my ears pierced, can a Christian get a tattoo, or is it okay to drink a glass of wine with supper. Scripture declares some commandments as 'absolutes' and then it may afford us the 'choice of conscience' as to other things.

To be bound to the rule may actually keep us from understanding the extreme love of the rule-maker. Every 'rule' is given in love - protection being at the core of each set of boundaries. So, we shouldn't let the rule be our focus - we need to let God be our focus and the rule will not seem like a limitation as much as it will become our choice in order to enjoy absolute protection. Just sayin!

Looking and Feeling Our Best

You have charged us to keep your commandments carefully. Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect your decrees! Then I will not be ashamed when I compare my life with your commands. As I learn your righteous regulations, I will thank you by living as I should! I will obey your decrees. (Psalm 119:4-8)

To what or whom do your compare your life's actions? God charges us with the responsibility and "goal" of keeping his commands - with consistency and dogged determination. We are actually reminded that the 'comparison' we need to make is with his commands - how well are we measuring up to what he asks of us? How consistent are we in making right choices? How much does 'obedience' out-trump all the other choices we could make?

Did you ever stop to consider that your life of obedience is actually an offering of 'thanksgiving' to God? Our passage reminds us that when we live as we should (obedience), we are actually lifting thanks to God with each 'right action' that aligns with his commandments. If we don't know his commandments, how can we live by them? If we don't take time to know the one who gives us those commands, how can we understand the heart behind each one? To know God is more than attending church and hanging around with other church folks. To know God means we take time to actually form a relationship with him.

As relationships are formed, we get to know each other - feeling free to point out something that isn't just right with the other person. My BFF helps me see those tiny wayward 'chin hairs' that sometimes escape my glances in the mirror. They catch her eye at just the right moment, and she is able to point them out to me so I can 'deal with them' when I get home. I want that kind of relationship with God, too. I want him to be able to 'point out' those 'wayward' things in my life that don't bring him honor - choices I have been making that don't reflect his holiness in me. When those things 'catch his eye', it isn't by accident - it is because he is the perfect light, and they NEVER escape him. 

Some think commandments are 'laws' or 'rules' that make it hard to live the way we want. Could it be that the 'way we want' isn't actually the best way for us to be living? Could it possibly be that a loving, all-knowing God sees the end even before we begin down that path? Might it be he loves us too much to see us hurt ourselves with unwise choices? I think all of us need a little time with Jesus each day - to get to know him and to allow us to see just how much he already knows all about us. In that 'sharing' of time, don't be surprised if he points out some 'wayward' choice that needs your attention. It isn't to shame you, but to make you look and feel your best! Just sayin!

Are you seeking understanding?

 “The person who knows my commandments and keeps them, that’s who loves me. And the person who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and make myself plain to him.” (John 14:21)

It is one thing to know something, but quite another thing to act upon what we know, isn't it? I just discovered a crack in my drywall that was repaired when they painted the house a year ago. I believed the repair to be solid and to the uninformed eye it was pretty much undetectable. I heard some settling the other night and now it is back again! I see it - know it is there - but I haven't taken any action to repair it yet. Why? I want to know the best way to act - not acting in haste, wasting time and resources on something that won't last. We all get the same information about God's commandments, don't we? We can read them in his Word and we can even talk them over with others who also know them. It is one thing to 'know' them - quite another to be willing to take action upon what we have come to know. This is why we need a little bit of help in this matter of obedience - the reason God sent his Holy Spirit to be our teacher and helper in the 'action' that is required.

God's plan is for us to live within the boundaries of his commandments - not because he wants to keep us 'penned in', but because he knows with the outskirts of those boundaries come some pretty damaging forces. As much as we may think the commandments of God a 'too limiting', it is those very boundaries we need. We know the speed limit - do we ever push it above that limit? Likely we have, and we haven't had any 'ill consequences' to that action, so we will likely do it again. Have you ever been a little too much over the speed limit and had to stop quickly, feeling like all the inertia behind your vehicle was pushing you closer and closer to whatever stood before you? You likely stopped just in the nick of time, but maybe you didn't and you suffered the consequences of that 'collision'. The 'limit' or 'boundary' of that roadway was actually there to protect us. Adherence to the limit was actually 'predicted' based upon the structural make-up of the roadway, the volume of traffic on the roadway, and the conditions usually exerted upon that roadway by weather. To ignore the 'plans' that went into setting that limit is risky. To ignore the 'plans' that God lays out for us is equally as risky because we don't know all the things that have gone into keeping us safe within those boundaries.

Love sets boundaries - to be content within those boundaries is a moment-by-moment choice. Our ability to 'keep' the commandments of God begins with a choice to live within them, even when we don't fully see or understand their 'protection'. The work of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to help us better see that protection - to help us come to a place of understanding God's protective power within those boundaries. We may not see 'plainly' right now why we are making the choice to stay within the boundaries, but in the course of time our understanding will be expanded. We will see the evidence of his protection and the intensity of his love as he sets up forces against all evil in our lives. Seeing doesn't always bring understanding, but seeing should cause us to seek understanding. Just sayin!

Guided out so we can be guided in

 I write this, dear children, to guide you out of sin. But if anyone does sin, we have a Priest-Friend in the presence of the Father: Jesus Christ, righteous Jesus. When he served as a sacrifice for our sins, he solved the sin problem for good—not only ours, but the whole world’s. Here’s how we can be sure that we know God in the right way: Keep his commandments. (I John 2:1)

Ever break a commandment? I can honestly say I have broken more than one! No wonder God is so intent on 'guiding us out of sin' - he knows our propensity toward breaking those doggone things! We ALL sin - break commandments - but we don't have to try to find our way out of our sinful condition on our own. Our attempts to get this 'sin problem' under control in our lives is a feeble attempt to get things 'right'. God's plan was to 'solve the sin problem for good' - not just give us a temporary fix for the sin problem. 

We get to know God and in turn, we get to understand how it is we break free from this constant battle with sin in our lives. We begin to see the futility of trying to be good and we settle into allowing God to show us how to be good. We appreciate the value of the commandments - as boundaries inside which we find protection from sin's downward spiral. Stay within the boundaries - know peace. Move outside those boundaries - reap an abundance of chaotic mess in your life.

How does God 'guide us out of sin'? It is more than providing the means - he also provides the guidance. If I have a cookbook, the ingredients, and the necessary appliances to create a meal, but don't follow the recipe within the cookbook, how well do you think the meal will turn out? The Word of God is kind of like the 'recipe book' for living well - the means by which we see the life change that frees us from the powerful pull of sin in our life.

We also have the Holy Spirit in our lives - like the cooking show host that not only shares the recipe, but shows us how to put all the ingredients together, one-by-one until there is this perfect combination of ingredients that result in the finished product. When we can see something done well, don't we want to emulate what we have seen? The Holy Spirit actually opens our eyes to the examples given to us (in scripture and in real life) so we appreciate the 'perfect combination of ingredients' that goes into a life 'well lived'. 

We will break a few commandments - but we have the perfect means by which to learn to live within those boundaries. Just sayin!