Blessed Boundaries

Boundaries are learned at a very young age.  I remember learning how important ​[to everyone else] that I color ​inside the lines. ​In ​6-on-6 basketball, ​I knew better than to cross the half court line (those rules went out with Dippity Doo.)  When I was finally ​old enough to officially date ​Mr. ​Bill ​[which seemed like forever], ​I had to be in the house by 11:00 PM ​[that rule ended the day we married]. ​The older​-me lives with boundaries​, too​: ​hide your chocolate, ​[in a house of guys] check the toilet seat before you sit down, never loan your hairbrush to your children, and ​do not [under any circumstances] shut your eyes and hold out your hand.​ Those boundaries have served me well!​

 

Man's ​trouble began when he didn't play by-the-rules - parameters by The Creator.  "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and blessing and calamity you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. ​" (Genesis 2:16-17).  In this familiar passage, we often fail to consider "out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight or to be desired—good (suitable, pleasant) for food" -- an imaginable ​endless buffet of free & good things! Even so, God set boundaries then, and they exist for Christians today.  Satan has skewed the boundaries,​ and they are often difficult to recognize​.  The world would have us ​believe and live as if boundaries are ​irrelevant and ​unnecessary.  ​It has been said, "America has lost its moral compass," and I propose we've lost our moral compass because we first lost the Spiritual Compass! Truth is, there seems to be more folks ​living ​outside ​than inside the boundaries set by Almighty God. How [then] do Believers reclaim this generation, once again making known those God-honoring boundaries?  The Psalmist writes, "I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I have set Your Rules before me." (Psalm 119:30), and "He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His Way." (Psalm 25:9).  Through the Prophet Isaiah God says, "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a Voice behind you, saying, 'This is the Way; walk in It.'" (Isaiah 30:21).  Many years ago, Mr. Bill and I set a few personal and practical boundaries in our lives to help us stay-true to Godly principles; we've been truly amazed at how God graciously honored ​​these [otherwise] simple decisions​ ​to bless our family​. ​Truth is, God gave us boundaries ​on-purpose and with-purpose: to make us holy as He is Holy. I challenge you as Christian men and women, as parents, citizens of faith's family, to understand the importance of Godly principles that set boundaries for living; know them - make them practical in your life - teach them to your children - determine you will live with them.  Then watch as God honors the boundaries you live by! Boundaries are not only good -- boundaries are blessings!