Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Rules - Were they really made to be broken?

I recently saw a sign hanging in a store that shared this little piece of wisdom - "If you always follow the rules you don't have any fun." My sister-in-law would agree. We love to play games when the family gets together but one sister-in-law, who will remain nameless, enjoys breaking the rules or, as she would say - stretching the rules a bit.

It seems we live in a society where rules are bad and made to be broken, or at least stretched. Today we see so much compromise in the lives of believers. The same was true in Malachi's day. God clearly had given the Israelites rules regarding many areas of life. In chapter 2:10-16 they are breaking God's rules by how they deal with one another. God said, "Do not intermarry" but they did. God said, "Do not follow after foreign gods" but they did. God said, "Do not divorce" yet they did for no reason.

We live in a time when people want to update Jesus and put His words into a new context. They want to make up new rules. It is not just making new rules but it is compromising the rules already given.. We hear little of "thus says the Lord" these days. Kathy Howard, in her study "Before His Throne," says this, "Did you notice that God's expectations for His people did not change over the centuries? God declares, "I am the Lord, and I do not change." (Malachi 3:6 NLT) Yet how many of God's commands would we like to see updated with the times?" She also remarks "It seems like a no-brainer. Yet even with the ready availability of God's Word to guide and warn, many Christians today fall into the trap of compromise."

What have you and I heard God say through the Word yet we have chosen to change that rule and compromise? How can we keep ourselves from compromising the unchanging Word of God? Malachi 2:16 holds the key-"Therefore take heed to your spirit." Heed means "to guard." We usually compromise when our guard is down. Our guard is up and strong when we are walking with the Lord, undistracted. If you have let your guard down and now find yourself compromising on truth, ponder these "rules" for dealing with sin:

Recognize your sin.
Repent.
Remove the revealed sin.
Restore and renew your relationship with God.

Kathy Withers

Kathy serves at America's KESWICK in Guest Services. She is married to Dave and has 2 adult children.


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