Today’s Readings: Job 9-11; Matthew 15:1-20
It’s so easy to mix up rules and traditions with the real reason God accepts us into His family. Adoption into His family has nothing to do with how well we keep rules…because we’ll never meet His perfect standard. All of us fail to even come close to God’s holy standard. That’s what makes the rules such a farce.
Having said that, I’m a big proponent of rules. I’m very left brain. I like structure. I like to know where the boundaries are in life. I like having fences in life and knowing where the limits of behavior stand so I can stay away from them. Rules are useful to all of us to teach us how to live comfortably in society. They have nothing to do with whether we’re accepted by God, but they do help us know the boundaries within which we should live.
My newly arrived rescued dog, Gilley can help explain my thought process here. We couldn’t adopt Gilley until we had a fence because he was a runner. But it could be any fence that would keep him confined. I bought a wireless fence that sends out a radio signal and put a received collar on him to keep him within a 100 foot radius of the transmitter. That keeps him within the boundaries of our yard.
As he approaches the outer boundary of the transmitted signal, his collar begins to beep slowly. If he continues to push the edges of the boundary, the collar beeps faster and louder. If he gets past the signal, the collar gives him a mild shock. Gilley isn’t necessarily a brilliant dog, but it didn’t take him very long to figure out that when his collar beeps, he needs to turn around and come back toward the house. The fence keeps him becoming another of the 150,000 dogs on San Antonio’s streets again.
Gilley can play anywhere in the house or the yard with complete freedom as long as he doesn’t approach the 100 foot limit of the transmitter. When he hears the beep, he knows he’s gone too far. It’s a simple rule, but the rule didn’t create the relationship he and I have developed. He doesn’t come to me to get his ears or belly scratched because he hears the beep of his collar. In fact, he’s so accustomed to the distance now, that he rarely approaches even the edge of the beep area, much less the area where he will get shocked. He stays well away from the boundaries and plays happily inside or around the interior of the yard. All Gilley wants is a relationship with me.
Unfortunately, people tend to test the edges. We think there might be something better on the other side or God wouldn’t have made the rules. We ignore the beeps (the signals God sends us) and try to find our way through the boundary. In fact, we even ignore the shocks (the consequences of our actions) as we hit the edge of the boundaries in defiance of God’s attempt to protect us. We forget He created the world as a place for us to enjoy. Like Gilley, we have plenty of things to do and places to play well away from the fence if we would look. We just choose not to believe Him.
When Gilley stays inside the circumference of the fence, he gets great food, a soft bed, toys, healthcare, lots of affection, … If he leaves the safety of the fence, he could end up just like when they found him. Standing beside two friends, one severely injured, one dead. Both hit by cars. Matted. Unrecognizable. Sick. Hungry. Nowhere to go. Lost and alone.
When we stay inside the fence (God’s rules) it is for our safety. He gives us everything we need and longs to enjoy an incredible relationship with us. When we push our way outside the safety of the fence…
Join me next time, won’t you?
Richard
Walk with Me 