Boundaries

Boundaries

“But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is The City Of The Great King. Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil (Matthew 5:34-37 NASB).”

Definitions: Bounds: Something that limits, confines, or restrains.

Boundary: Something that indicates bounds or limits; a limiting or bounding line (Dictionary.com)

Most situations or decisions have connections to both boundaries and freedoms. Even our Bill of Rights, gives something by taking something. Giving the right of free speech takes away the right to never hear something offensive. Giving the right to bear arms takes away the right to be in a weaponless society. Giving the right and freedom of religion takes away the right to have freedom from religions and their followers. The same is true when making a decision to help someone or not to help. Saying yes puts a boundary inward, saying no puts the boundary outward. An affirmative gives what is desired, but may keep us from getting what we desire. A negative keeps the desires of others from interfering with what we want. If we try to trump a yes by making an oath we dabble in playing God: acting like we know what will happen in the future and acting like our strength can be counted on without a doubt. We are fallible, so all we can do is express intent and aim, but we cannot guarantee accomplishment unless we control Heaven and Earth and all of its leaders. May we be very diligent in denying our flesh desires and say yes to God. Getting to the place of desiring His will can ease some of the difficulty of our decisions. In his book "Don't Waste Your Life" John Piper says it this way, "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." We can do what He desires and desire Him at the same time. 

Prayers: We pray our child will obey the boundaries we set. Please guide us in setting smart boundaries.

We pray our child will soon understand that You are God and You are worthy of honor, praise and complete faithfulness. Please help us to consistently deny our flesh desires so You can have Your way. We also do not want to be so self abasing that we don't believe we can have You. Please help our child to understand: Self abasement does not make You bigger and neither does glorifying You; and degrading You doesn't make You smaller and neither does glorifying ourselves. You are everything You are without us and we are nothing we are without You.

You are infallible and Your promises are true. Help us to teach our child to not play God. May our child know that there is no need to act perfect, to prove undoubting ability or to bring extra weight to a yes or no, but instead to be as consistent as possible and true to what is said, nothing more. May honesty, vulnerability and a teachable attitude make way for You to bring Your strength, Your supply and Your Spirit to fill any gaps.
Thank You for Your help and blessings.