Devotional: Applying the Bible to my today.
Read: Job 28
By those who love God and by those who despise God, He is often seen as a “rule maker”. Prior to giving my life to Him, I envisioned Him as an insensitive rule maker, and early in my Christian walk I spent much time trying to follow as many of the “rules” as possible in order to make up for all the wrong I had previously done.
Now, 15 years after walking with the Lord, I see Him in a very different light. I no longer see Him as “rule maker” but instead as “creator”. The analogy I often consider is this… If the person who invented the lighter wrote an instruction book, it may say, “Use the lighter in this way, but WARNING! do not bring it in contact with your hair!” Would we think to ourselves, “That person is so mean to tell me I can’t use this for my hair! Nobody is going to tell me what to do!”?
If one did use the lighter for their hair, destruction and a horrible stink would certainly follow. The “creator” of the lighter would not give us the warning because he/she is mean but because it is wise instruction in accordance with the way the product was designed.
Such is the case for the guidelines the Heavenly Father provides for us in His word and other requirements that are not in the word but are inherently known. For example, our human bodies have been created to take in oxygen. If we don’t get oxygen, there is an immediate physical implication that is easy for us to see. Because we see the consequence so easily, many may not consider this one of the “rules”.
Have you ever noticed that whenever God has a so-called “rule”, that He also provides a way for us to follow it – and not only does it meet the required need, but it goes above and beyond and also provides shear enjoyment. Since God created us for oxygen intake, He provided plant life to provide oxygen for our needs.
The Lord provides many other significant blessings in addition to the guidelines He set forth for us.
Food –
When we go outside the boundaries of what has been set for our bodies they simply lose functionality, but within His boundaries it is amazing. Our bodies need food, but God gave us taste buds to enjoy it. Have you noticed that different foods are available in different parts of the world? It is a fun adventure to enjoy flavors from all over the world.
Sex –
Used outside of the boundaries set by our Heavenly Father, sex can be terribly destructive. It’s almost an “invisible” destruction, so the impacts are often not realized for years. But God did design it to sustain His people, yet it is also designed it to be an amazing experience between two people. It brings pleasure and most certainly brings laughter between a married couple committed to each other for life.
All of God’s rules are simply His instruction for us because He is our Creator, our designer. They are not to keep a heavy thumb on us, but instead to allow us joy and freedom that we could otherwise never experience if we lived on our own accord. Left to our own wisdom, destruction and a horrible stink would certainly ensue.
Have a blessed day enjoying all the beautiful creations of our Lord.