Barriers

“Do you not fear me? declares the LORD. Do you not tremble before me? I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea, a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass; though the waves toss, they cannot prevail; though they roar, they cannot pass over it. But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have turned aside and gone away. They do not say in their hearts, 'Let us fear the LORD our God, who gives the rain in its season, the autumn rain and the spring rain, keeps for us the weeks appointed for the harvest.'Your iniquities have turned these away, and your sins have kept good from you.” Jeremiah 5:22-25 (ESV)

Have you ever noticed how ‘barriers’ seem to irritate us (you), however good they may be? There are speed limits, speed bumps, no turn areas, no pass zones, and the list goes on and on and on. At school there are rules that prevent the students from doing certain things, like ‘no talking’. School teaches have all sorts of forms to fill out before the teaching day begins and after it is over. And then there are the 'end of the month' reports that are due in order for statistics to be reported. These are barriers that hinder our ‘personal’ freedom.

And these are man-made barriers. But what about the so-called ‘laws of Nature’ that prevent us from jumping 20ft vertically in order that we can reach the first limb of a large tree.? Or holding our breath long enough to swim at a depth of 100ft and more. But, these are God’s laws that keep this planet intact. Only birds can easily get to that limb, and fish can only float around at a 100 ft depth….naturally. “I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea, a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass….” And man has attempted to keep the seas from their natural shores, but what God has placed as a boundary, man, even at his best, cannot change those boundaries without consequences.

God has given us laws to keep us within His boundaries of moral expediency. The laws are not to keep us in bond of tyranny, but to give us freedom to enjoy His blessings of life. Those spiritual guides are found in His Word and we must live under the Manual for living without placing our own feelings and desires over the Scriptures. This is another topic, but we cannot successfully interpret the Bible from our experiences, but rather allow the Bible give direction to our experiences.

Because we want to challenge God, He has said, “But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have turned aside and gone away …” We want things our way, and when this happens we find ourselves under the consequences of ‘doing it our way.”

God has a plan, not an opinion that He has designed for each of our lives. ”Let us fear the LORD our God, who gives the rain in its season, the autumn rain and the spring rain, keeps for us the weeks appointed for the harvest.” His water from heaven is present to clean the air and give life to the earth, and the seasons provide times of refreshing for all of His creation….and then there is the Harvest time that He has given for us to enjoy the fruit of His Blessings.

Jesus tells us that he has come to give us life in it abundance…within His life-giving boundaries. ENJOY