Wherefore ye shall do my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; and ye shall dwell in the land in safety.- Leviticus 25:18
Safety. Protection from harm.
Salvation. The action or process of bringing someone or something into safety.
I am amazed at how bent out of shape believers and non-believers alike can get on the laws and principles of God. As soon as it creates a ripple in the comfort level, God's law is diluted or reasoned way altogether. It is given the description of legalistic or archaic to justify it's perceived irrelevance.
The Word of God is sometimes treated like a candy bowl, in which only the ones we like are unwrapped and savored. The rest get left behind.
My heart breaks at the realization that many of the immoral issues we face in this age is due to diluting the validity and relevance of the Word of God.
For example, the stop sign is inconvenient until it's your safety on the line. When you do a rolling stop- no problem. When the other driver does it, we're one number away from calling the police. But get this- the stop sign is legalistic. It's legalism is what keeps us safe.
Diluting God's Word is like being at the beach and entering the water at one spot, but by the time you look up from the hypnotizing waves, you are far from where you started. Not only that, you have no idea how you ended up so far away.
The Word of God may feel like a fence, but it's truly a guardrail. God loves us so much he wants to protect us from harm- physical, spiritual, emotional harm.
Safety. Protection from harm.
Salvation. The action or process of bringing someone or something into safety.
The Word of God is sometimes treated like a candy bowl, in which only the ones we like are unwrapped and savored. The rest get left behind.
My heart breaks at the realization that many of the immoral issues we face in this age is due to diluting the validity and relevance of the Word of God.
For example, the stop sign is inconvenient until it's your safety on the line. When you do a rolling stop- no problem. When the other driver does it, we're one number away from calling the police. But get this- the stop sign is legalistic. It's legalism is what keeps us safe.
Diluting God's Word is like being at the beach and entering the water at one spot, but by the time you look up from the hypnotizing waves, you are far from where you started. Not only that, you have no idea how you ended up so far away.
The Word of God may feel like a fence, but it's truly a guardrail. God loves us so much he wants to protect us from harm- physical, spiritual, emotional harm.
The sheepfold
John 10:1-4
As believers we enter the sheepfold under the Good shepherd. When we oppose the protection of the guardrail it may seem safe at first if one is just straddling the fence. One may still feel safe completely on the other side- " as long as I'm leaning against the fence, I'm good". A little further out, but the fence is within reach, so a sense of safety is still felt. All along however, the wolf is watching.
Have you watched wolves on the nature shows? They're not stupid animals. Wolves strategize.
That wolf, the devil, is watching you creep slowly away from the fence. He's not gonna pounce when you first step out. He wants you to believe you are still close enough to be under the watchful eye of the shepherd. No, he is going to wait.
Now you get to a point where you are out of reach from the fence.The allure of the outside world pulls at you even stronger. It's only one step further, but, at least you can still see the fence. Seeing it feels safe. You began to do some calculations and realize that you have been on the outside of the fence a little while and so far nothing has happened. This realization emboldens you to let down your guard and enjoy yourself a little. You can't believe the Shepherd was holding you back from this all along.
But little do you know, as Eve was tricked the same exact way, there is a price to be paid...
Have you watched wolves on the nature shows? They're not stupid animals. Wolves strategize.
That wolf, the devil, is watching you creep slowly away from the fence. He's not gonna pounce when you first step out. He wants you to believe you are still close enough to be under the watchful eye of the shepherd. No, he is going to wait.
Now you get to a point where you are out of reach from the fence.The allure of the outside world pulls at you even stronger. It's only one step further, but, at least you can still see the fence. Seeing it feels safe. You began to do some calculations and realize that you have been on the outside of the fence a little while and so far nothing has happened. This realization emboldens you to let down your guard and enjoy yourself a little. You can't believe the Shepherd was holding you back from this all along.
But little do you know, as Eve was tricked the same exact way, there is a price to be paid...
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