| "True freedom is always
measured by its boundaries; not by the lack thereof. True valuable territory
is known by a boundary." |
God's system for distributing the commodity of freedom.
Do you know your boundaries?
Do you live within them? Or, are you always trying to step outside
of your boundaries or push the limitations you have been given?
I remember playing
soccer as a teenager and the disappointment when I had gone out of bounds
and had to give the ball over to the other team. All boundaries
really do serve a specific purpose and are maintained for the good of
all. Occasionally, when a team player went out of bounds, they
lost the privilege of playing for a period of time.
For a newborn babe,
the first freedom he is given is the freedom of the crib. He can cry,
scream, play, sleep, and all those other things babies do, as long as
he stays within the boundary of that crib. When he grows a little more,
he is given the freedom of the playpen. This is much better because
here he can play with toys, make a lot of noise, crawl around, and see
all that is going on around him. The next big step is the freedom of
the living room. This gets even better because now he can explore his
surroundings. But he must stay within the boundaries of the living room.
When he violates that freedom by attempting to crawl up the stairs,
what happens? Mom puts him back in the playpen. He lost his freedom
because he violated his boundaries.
As the years pass,
the freedoms grow-the freedom of the back yard, then the neighborhood.
But what happens when he violates his boundary of staying in the neighborhood?
He is restricted once again to his own yard. Sweet Sixteen is here.
Do you remember your glorious day? With tears in Mom and Dad's eyes,
what freedom was given to you? The freedom of the car: This is so much
better than the playpen, or the back yard, or even riding bikes through
the neighborhood! But the moment those flashing lights pull up behind
the speeding teenager, that freedom is taken away. He is now back to
the bicycle. Why? Because he violated his freedom of the car. Freedom
abused is often freedom lost.
Such is God's system
for distributing the commodity of freedom. As we grow within our boundaries,
those boundaries will grow with us. As we become spiritually strong,
we gain liberty. The Bible says where the Spirit is, there is
liberty! However, when we violate or reject these boundaries,
those freedoms are taken away. I have learned many boundaries to follow
throughout my Christian life. They are given to me by the Holy
Spirit's leading, through the words Scriptures read, life experiences
and many other various means. I learned many boundaries under my pastor's
preaching and from various authors. Preachers and teachers have helped
me understand the value of a system of obedience that is measured by
remaining within boundaries.
I do not take my subjection
to His limitations as an offense to my personal attribution. I
now have a realization that every violation brings subsequent restriction
and loss of liberation.
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