Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Attitude”
Our Bible verse for today: “The boundary markers have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.” Psalm 16:6 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Relax and enjoy your life”
In the Old Testament world land was a major indicator of wealth and blessings. Boundary markers identified the extent of your land. So the term “boundary markers” was used to describe a tangible physical reality (the scope and limits of your land). But the idea of boundary markers was also a metaphor used to describe the blessing of God upon your life and it also described the circumstances of your life.
This is the way in which David was using the term in Psalm 16:6. God had given him a good life and he was happy with it. His profession, his home, his family, his talents, his hobbies, his friends – all of it made up the structure of his life and he found it very pleasant indeed. I hope that’s true for you too.
But there’s also another way in which we can think of the boundary markers which God has established for us and that’s in terms of Biblical boundaries. In the Bible God has given us the behavioral boundaries within which he wants us to live. Those boundaries are actually very wide, and there’s a lot of room for some very good living within those boundaries, but there are boundaries, and we do have to stay within them.
However, as I said, within those boundaries there’s a lot of room for some very good and enjoyable living. God is nowhere near as restrictive as we sometimes imagine Him to be. Dallas Willard once used the example of his young children at play in the backyard. The backyard was fenced-in (boundaries), and he expected his children to stay within those boundaries. But as long as they were, then he didn’t care if they were swinging on the swing set, playing in the sandbox, playing fetch with the dog, lying in the hammock reading a book, or sitting at the picnic table enjoying a snack. All of those activities (and others) were just fine with him as long as the kids stayed within the boundaries of the fenced-in backyard.
Sometimes we make the idea of obeying God seem as if it’s a monumental effort on our parts. We grit our teeth and resolve to obey whether we want to or not, “I’m going to do this even if it kills me!” Well stop that. It’s a big backyard and there’s a lot of very good, very enjoyable life to be lived within the boundaries of it. Relax and enjoy the life God has given you. Be grateful for it.
Just stay within the boundaries, relax, and enjoy your life.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 