May 6th, 2009 — My Personal Walk
And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you except to fear the Lord your God by walking in all His ways, to love Him and to worship the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul? Keep the Lord’s commands and statutes I am giving you today, for your own good. – Deuteronomy 10:12-13
Raise your hand if you just love doing what other people tell you to do.
Anybody? Yeah, didn’t think so.
It seems to me that an aversion to obedience is a universal trait among members of the human race. I think it is because every time we are required to do something it reminds us of the fact that we are never in complete control of our own lives. We always have to answer to somebody. Obey your parents. Obey the law. Obey the Lord your God.
Yeah, even that one grates on me at times. Don’t get me wrong. I know we should have a desire to follow His commandments in an effort to become more like Christ, our Savior. But, man, obedience tends to cramp my fleshly style; I don’t like it one bit.
The reality is, though, that being obedient keeps us safe. Look at verse 13 up there again: Moses reaffirms the fact that keeping God’s commands is for our own good. God knows that without guidelines we would be in a world of hurt.
Succumbing to the desires of the flesh can seriously put a damper on the joy that God wants us to have in our hearts. Covetousness leads to a life of constant depression. Being unequally yoked will most likely put unnecessary strain on your relationship. Lying will most definitely lead to a miserable existence of guilt and secrecy. That is no way to live.
The good thing is that once we learn to get past those pesky temptations, God can bless us in ways that we could never imagine. As you go through this week, remember that obedience does not lead to limitation. Being obedient provides us with a way to live a life that is relatively free of joy-robbing experiences and misery.
Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. – Colossians 2:6-7
February 10th, 2009 — My Personal Walk
How happy is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! – Psalm 32:1
A reader posted a new comment to my article Dealing with Past Transgressions the other day, and I found myself rereading it as I approved the comment. Let me tell you, reading that article could not have come at a more applicable time.
Suffice it to say, that I am very thankful for God’s unending supply of forgiveness. The beginning of last week was quite tumultuous, for lack of a better word. No, tumultuous is an accurate adjective in this case, so I will leave that word. 
Without going into too much detail (ok, no detail at all), some things came out about my past and it put a strain on a relationship that I value dearly. Man, does Satan know how to work me over, or what? He knows exactly what I consider to be valuable and has no qualms about beating them to a pulp. Thankfully, the other person and I are able to talk about it and are in the process of moving through it (though, I know that it will be a process, not an instant fix).
But, how true is that verse of Psalm 32! I am certainly not proud of what happened, but I know, without any hint of doubt, that my Father has forgiven me for the sin because I confessed it to Him with a repentant heart.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. – 1 John 1:9
And look at the last part of that verse! Not only does He forgive me, but also cleanses me! I do not have to stress about it anymore. The sacrifice of Christ has allowed me to be free from all iniquity. Of course, this does not give me some James Bond-esque “license to sin.” However, it does allow me the peace of mind to know that those sins that I have committed and those that I am going to commit can and will be forgiven and washed away forever.
How happy am I whose transgression is forgiven, indeed!
January 1st, 2009 — Uncategorized
Happy New Year from Life Outside the Lines!
I hope it is treating you well so far and that your resolutions are still in place 16 hours in!
I will be starting a more regular posting schedule at the beginning of next week. I am really going to try and do three good posts every week. One will probably be a book review, but I am not sure about the other two. I imagine that one will be just thoughts from my Scripture readings that inspired me over the course of the week. We’ll see.
So, keep a look out for all new content hitting your doorstep on Monday! Have a great weekend.
