Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Boundaries”
Our Bible verse for today: “Each person should do as he has decided in his heart – not reluctantly or out of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:7 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Pay attention to feelings of resentment.”
At first glance 2 Corinthians 9:7 may seem like an odd verse of Scripture to conclude our study about boundaries. In that passage Paul was teaching about giving money to help support the cause of Christ. In that context he wrote verse 7 where he cautioned his readers to give with a cheerful heart and not out of a sense of compulsion and not with any resentment. The implication is that if you are not able to give with that kind of cheerful and willing heart you should just keep your money, God doesn’t want it.
Although that’s excellent guidance when it comes to the subject of giving money in a way that pleases God, there’s also a larger truth here which pertains to all of life in general, and to the subject of setting good boundaries in particular. If you’re feeling resentment about it, that’s a pretty good indication that something is wrong.
If a family member is requiring so much of your time and attention that you’re starting to resent it, that person is probably pushing the outer limits of healthy boundaries and it could be time for you to start saying “no” to them. If your job is requiring so much from you that you’re beginning to resent it and you’re starting to think that you might like to do something different for a living, there could be a boundary issue. If you’re ending most days exhausted and feeling as if there was little time to just stop and smell the roses, or to sit quietly reading a good book, and you find yourself wishing your life was slower, simpler, easier, you may need to adjust some boundaries.
When feelings of resentment about a particular area of life begin to crowd your thoughts, it could be a red flag warning you of the need to adjust some of your critical boundaries. If you find yourself thinking “This didn’t used to bother me very much but now I’m starting to get fed up with it.”, you know the boundary line has been breached and you need to make adjustments.
As we end our devotional study of boundaries I want to encourage you to give careful, prayerful thought to the boundaries you have set in your life. Are there any that need to be adjusted? Are there some that don’t currently exist but need to be put in place? Healthy boundaries are needed in every area of life.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 