Good Morning Peeps! How are you doing this Friday morning, good I hope? It is the weekend, and I hope that you have a fun or relaxing one planned. Have a good and very Blessed Friday and weekend too! - May God Bless You and Yours In 2018 and Beyond! - “Are YOU 100% sure, that you are Saved and headed to Heaven when you die? Are you sure YOUR name IS written in the Heavenly “Book of Life?” Is there absolutely not a shadow of a doubt in your mind, that your Salvation is already secured and you’re just waiting on the good Lord to call you home to be with Him? If the answer is “No, Not Sure, I Think So, Maybe, or Probably, then you need to get busy right now working on fixing that. You need to be totally sure where your Soul will spend eternity!” And AMEN goes right here….
#SalvationIsOnlyThruJesusChrist!
“This is the day that the Lord has made! I will rejoice and be glad in it!”
Choose wisely the bounds you have chosen and the friends who respect them.
“All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable.”
1 Corinthians 10:23 NAS.
Today, my thoughts and comments are about ,“Rules and Safe Boundaries.”
By Pastor Allen Randolph
Life is better with rules. Without those, athletic competition would be havoc. But very few individuals appreciate rules as they should. People seem to bristle when too many rules seem imposed. But imagine a world without rules. Driving would be dangerous with no rules of the road. In daily interactions, the strong would take advantage of the weak. The rich would further impoverish the poor. For a clear reason, the Ten Commandments were not called the, “Ten Recommendations.” Nor were they meant to be. Out of His love for you, not His love for law, God commanded those rules to live by.
In athletics and academics, as in life itself, rules allow everyone to compete fairly, and provide a means for achievement to be fairly measured, compared, and rewarded. That’s why there are rules and referees, grades and graduation requirements, right and wrong, rewards and penalties. Rules are essential, establishing boundaries and measuring achievement.
I am grateful that my Dad believed in rules. Admittedly, I didn’t appreciate those as much while a teen. But Dad’s rules were always clear and fair – and enforced or rewarded. They made me wiser and better than I would otherwise have been. Rules establish safe boundaries for your benefit, not to limit or restrict you, except for your guidance and protection. They protect and keep you safe. Maybe it would help to think of boundaries rather than rules. I see three occasions for boundaries.
1. You need people to set boundaries for you. That is the value of parents, teachers, friendships, civil and governmental authorities, God’s Word, and the Holy Spirit. They establish rules that benefit all. “The authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing.” Read Romans 13.3-6 NIV. Respect rules, embrace appropriate boundaries, and appreciate their practical need for making your life better, measuring your achievements, rewarding your efforts, and keeping you safer. Laws are to protect the lawful and restrain the lawless. “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.” Hebrews 13:17 NKJV. In your life, whose opinion and counsel offer trusted guidance, Godly wisdom, and a spiritual haven for you in uncertain times?
2. At times, you may need to model boundaries for others. True liberty is not without limits, and never without restraint. I had a fourth-grade teacher, Mrs. Cook, who taught our class a simple principle about boundaries and liberties, “Your liberty to swing your fist without restraint ends at the tip of another’s nose.” What a great rule for fourth graders, as well as kids, teens, and adults of all ages. Friends and family help set boundaries for one another. Often it is more kind to say no, not cruel. Choose wisely the bounds you will honor, and friends who respect them, and respect you.
At all times, you must require and embrace boundaries for yourself. The best decisions you make were made before any situation needing a boundary presented itself. The right decision is never too late, but it’s best when made early. Paul wrote, “All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. Everything is permissible, but not everything is edifying.” I Corinthians 10:23 NAS. Choose what is profitable, edifying others, and glorifying God. God’s Word marks the places where you will find your greatest liberties, and where you and others find safety.
When I was first preparing for ministry, my Dad taught me a very practical and valuable lesson about establishing non-negotiable, personal boundaries, for success in pastoral ministry. My Dad’s advice was invaluable, “Many who look to you for leadership will likely exceed the liberties you permit yourself; so be wise and measured in all you allow yourself to say and do. And others who follow you may stop short of your disciplines, so be careful, always seeking to excel.”
There will always be others observing and following you. Jesus was clear, “I have set before you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” John 13:15 NIV. You are always safe when following Jesus’ example. Paul was clear as well with his instruction to young Timothy. ”Be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12 NKJV. Be sure that the rules you expect others to observe are a priority in your own life and relational interactions.
Even when you do not think so, someone is always following you, Many years ago, a man made this observation of me, “Pastor, you are not hard to follow because you do not make sudden turns.” I am not sure whether he meant that as a compliment, but I accepted it as one. I want to be easy to follow for my family and for those who trust my leadership. My objective is simple. I want my family and friends to know what my values are, where I am going, Who I am following, and how to get where God is leading.
“God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later, however, [His] discipline produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:10-11 NIV. Embracing Godly rules and obeying God’s words is the path to God’s blessings.
Today I pray for you to establish Godly boundaries. They are given to protect, not confine you.
K-Love’s Encouraging Words:
All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all.
Isaiah 53:6
“Today, choose to “Ride or Die” with Jesus Christ! Afterall, isn’t that exactly what He did for us on the Cross at Calvary?”
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