Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Boundaries”
Our Bible verse for today: “Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 4:1-2 (NIV)
Our thought for today: “Boundaries are Biblical”
The idea of establishing and maintaining good and appropriate boundaries is Biblical and is woven all throughout Scripture. God Himself is a God of boundaries. In the Bible He defines for us exactly who and what He is, and what He is not. He is holy, which means He is not unholy. He is light, and therefore He is not darkness. He also tells us what is acceptable to Him and what is not. Righteous behavior is acceptable but sinfulness is not. Sincere and genuine worship pleases Him but empty religious ritual does not.
This is the God who also created the universe and established its limits. He is the one who created the boundaries for the oceans, and the limits of physics. In short, boundaries are good and needed. The idea of boundaries comes from God Himself.
That being the case – since good and appropriate boundaries were God’s idea to begin with, it is essential that our lives to be lived within good boundaries. We need proper boundaries to govern our personal conduct, and we need appropriate boundaries for the conduct of others when their conduct impacts our lives. We even need to establish appropriate boundaries for things such as sleep, recreation, work, and more. How much is enough, how much is too little, and how much is too much? In our society today we even need to have personal nutritional boundaries. Again, how many calories are enough and how many are too much? How much junk food is ok, and when have we crossed the line into overindulging?
I’m not suggesting that we should become compulsive about structure, rules, and guidelines – although most of us could probably benefit from being just a little OCD in this respect. My point is that boundaries are important. They are good and needed and even Biblical. Boundaries are God’s idea.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 