Stay in The Safe Zone

Life in the Boundaries

Proverbs 3:1-6 NKJV
1 My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands;
2 For length of days and long life And peace they will add to you.
3 Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart,
4 And so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

Exercising self-control and self-discipline, and establishing boundaries and borders in our life are some of the most important things we can do. A life that has no discipline is one that is filled with carelessness and heartache.

The Word of God establishes the necessary boundaries to keep us in God's safety zone. It tells us what we can do, and what we better not do, in order to be safe.

As Christians - much like the rest of the world - we can think it's kind of exciting to live life on the edge. We like the image of "Yeah! That's me! Living on the edge!" It's become a popular way of looking at life. But to be honest, God doesn't want us living on the edge, because if we're living on the edge, then we have no margin for error. Not to mention that it's stressful and stress stills your Joy.

Let me put it another way to bring "life on the edge" and "living outside God's boundaries" more into focus.

Highways have painted lines, one on each side and one in the center. These lines provide margins for our safety while we're driving. They didn't just put them there because they had nothing better to do. If we go over the line on one side of the road, the best case scenario is that we would probably just run into a ditch. The worst is that we could hit a walking pedestrian or bicyclist, men working on the roadways or a broken down automobile.

If we cross over the line in the middle, the best we can hope for is that there are no oncoming automobiles at all or that we simply side swipe another car resulting only in damages to both vehicles. Statistics tell us though that the odds are that we are going to hit another car head on; in which case we and the other driver could get killed or at least seriously injured. The point being is that we like those lines being on the road because they help to keep us safe and they help us to feel safe while we are driving.

It's like that in our personal lives, too. When we have boundaries, borders, and margins, we feel much better; we feel safer and as a result we experience God's peace and security.

The key is to go to God's Word, where He has laid out all of the lines, all of the boundaries, all of the margins - everything we need  - to live by.

Read His Word. Let God direct your path every day; not just once in awhile. It is so much safer, so much less stressful when you do.

Cross my heart !