Deuteronomy 5:33 Stay
on the path that the LORD your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will
live long and prosperous lives in the land you are about to enter and occupy.
Jeremiah 42:6 Whether
it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the LORD our God, to whom we are
sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the LORD our
God."
Ezekiel 20:19 I am the LORD your God; follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
Ezekiel 20:19 I am the LORD your God; follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
by Charles R. Swindoll
Now you say, "Well, what if we find a list of do’s and
don'ts in Scripture?" That is a very different issue! Any specified list
in Scripture is to be obeyed without hesitation or question. That's an inspired
list for all of us to follow, not someone's personal list. Let me encourage you
to guide your life by any and all Scripture with all of your heart, regardless
of how anyone else may respond. But when questionable things aren't specified
in Scripture, it then becomes a matter of one's personal preference or
convictions.
God has given His children a wonderful freedom in Christ,
which means not only freedom from sin and shame but also a freedom in
lifestyle, so that we can become models of His grace. Being free, enjoying your
liberty, and allowing others the same enjoyment is hard to do if you're
insecure. It is especially hard to do if you were raised by legalistic parents
and led by legalistic pastors with an oversensitive conscience toward pleasing
everyone. Those kinds of parents and pastors can be ultracontrolling,
manipulative, and judgmental. Frequently, they use the Bible as a hammer to
pound folks into submission rather than as a guide to lead others into grace.
Sometimes it takes years for people who have been under a legalistic cloud to
finally have the courage to walk freely in the grace of God. Unfortunately,
some who finally grasp this freedom go so far in it they abuse the grace of God
by flaunting their liberty.
That can be just as tragic as those who don't go far enough.
To return to one of my favorite words, we need the balance.
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