Boundaries and Shores of the Life Giving River

I have pondered and meditated on this subject many times. This morning, there was a beautiful concise view with the prompting of the Spirit. May the Ruler of the Saints anoint my words and open our hearts to receive new faith.

Starting with a side note, there is a point that interested me for a while. If Job was the chronologically oldest text, why did it not come first? Apart from the obvious introduction to God in Genesis which is awesome and inspiring, I think it is the spiritual reality of the Garden of Eden, and the instructions from God for living with Him. The book of Job is a expansive painting, with many facets that are deep and colorfull. The story of Adam and Eve is a more linear accessible story line.

But these are my simple experiences with each, what is important today is a return to the Tree of Life. To gain eternal life with God, a source was placed in the garden that man was free to access. But a boundary was set, dividing that source from the rest of the transient world. The very first boundary was the living word of God, informing man not to eat of the other tree, the one that opened up the path of personal judgment. That tree, with its fruit yielding the knowledge of good and evil is not a particularly intuitive thing. Are we not to know right from wrong? Should we ignore inquiry into that which is good? As well as evil?

No, the knowledge of good and evil is the state where man decides what is correct, and what is incorrect, not based upon the eternal life God has provided, but based upon man's own capacity to judge. There is a beautiful logic here, and a hidden pearl. The knowledge itself is neither good nor evil. It was the act of eating it that revealed the propensity of man, and our natural condition.

Appart from the serpent, or any justification one way or the other, i.e. "The woman gave to me, and I did eat.", man ultimately chose to judge for himself whether the forbidden tree was beneficial or not. That was the true transgression. Let me reiterate most emphatically. There was no magic in eating the fruit, or in the opening of the eyes to perceive their nakedness. The schism, the tear in the soul, occurred when they decided to judge for themselves.

Setting ourselves up as the judge is the antithesis of God's eternal life. We step out of the River of Life at that point, to stand on the banks while the power and supply flows strongly by. Some reading this will ask questions about free will and "being a robot of God" and the like, but bear with me, I will address this, and my desire is that we can see the perfect marriage of free will and God's desire.

Before examining our will carefully, let us consider specific examples of the boundaries in everyday life. Clearly the Ten Commandments are a good place to start. Even the most devout atheist can perceive the wisdom in most of them. This indicates that the Ten Commandments are good social boundaries that allow more people to live together in a community. But there is a part that concerns the individuals practical life. Covetousness infects the heart and leads to discord, if not other worse problems. Adultery directly impacts the core of our soul, and is a scar that is hard to heal. In fact, violation of any comandment has a outward and inward impact.

So we have personal boundaries and social boundaries, and the purpose of these is to protect us as individuals and communities from failure and death. But this is all in the past, some long forgotten group wandering around in the desert, right? Not true, but if we don't look at it in the light of modern life now, it is easy to justify stepping outside of these protective barriers. Let us focus on a few simple boundaries we all deal with in everyday life. I will pick excess, gossip, and entertainment, as they are not to controversial and we all have crossed the line in one or the other recently.

If you disagree, and are in a place where you have not stepped up onto the beach following one of those, you are completely filled with the Spirit of God, and I deeply respect that, and wish to attain a similar state. But I am a vessel, a container that has been crushed. There are serious struggles in my soul to attain the self control that is a result of being continuously filled with the Spirit.

On the above list, I enjoy entertainment. Some of which is completely corrupted with the world. For instance, I really enjoy CSI, a modern techy, geeky, soap operetic crime drama. Watching that doesn't mean I go around plotting the demise of my neighbors. However, the show contains adult themes at times, and I just have to turn it off and tune it out. I don't lust after the bikini clad coed stabbed in the park, but clearly we are not gaining more of the Eternal Life sitting there watching. Cleanse us Lord from the images that are pure garbage, renew our imaginations to your perfect life, and the intention of Your will.

Now, if you are in a place where you are tempted by the images of lust, or worse have turned to overt stimulation based on entertainment, you have a harder road. Our bodies produce strong drugs, and the combination of sexual satisfaction and image stimulus is a very addictive cocktail. If you have transferred the physical part of your relationship to unrealistic imagination, severe problems are right around the corner. Oh, I know the itch. Especially after that first child, when everything can come to a screeching halt. But if you are there, call deeply to the Lord for Grace and Stability. He will answer, and you can begin a new adventure of sensual rediscovery.

Of course if you are a single young Christian, or recovering from a death or divorce, please don't torture yourself with these images. They will gnaw at you, even in the places you once sensed peace. Call out for healling and renewall. God is faithfull. If you are unable to stop torturing yourself in this way, you probably have other will related situations. Seek counsel, start with small things, and resolve to change.

Now on to one of my other weaknesses, excess. It seems simple, and not a boundary at all. But this is a hidden cancer in the faith of many solid Christians. I am not in the place where I can claim freedom from this. But I have made progress, through some simple steps. Here is a specific example. We love to shop at thrift stores, wether in times of plenty or famine. I just don't see the usefullness of retail for items which you can acquire in usable condition. Inevitably (and frequently), I purchase some piece of junk that I take apart and shove in the closet. So a system of bagging up the closet junk and donating more than we purchase was implemented. I can't say it always works, but I think about the impulse purchase now, and more than likely don't even bother.

I have literally been walking in Life at different times, pulled up to the thrift store to find someone pulling out right in front, gone in and found shoes, schoolbooks, dance costumes, many other things that our family needed at exactly that moment. The timing is perfect, and it is God's supply of the simple things. Conversely, I don't need another CD player, arctic canteen, disco light (yes, I did...), ten year old printer, fungus filled camera lens, the list goes on.

You may not have any trouble with this, and that is the place I am headed. It is Life that will lead us, the spirit of shopping will distract us. Try it for yourself, this simple test. Sit in your car at the mall, listening to a worship CD or just praising God yourself. Then go in and give yourself a strict ten minutes, just looking at a few items of interest. Now step outside the store and look inward. I have done this many times, and there is a battle waging in my heart. My soul is often fighting off the flow, the spirit of shopping that tries to lead you. What does this mean practically? Well, I don't go to the mall much for one thing.

Now lets switch gears to gossip. Here is a slippery, attractive distraction. We all talk about one another, wether to share our love or just build friendships. And in the Body of Christ, this conversation is on a deeper level. We often discuss the very core of someones life, or the depths of their mistakes. This can be healthy and life giving. Yet often, in a instantaneous flash, judgment encroaches.

What do I mean linking gossip to the place of judgment? Well this is the dark side of gossip, as it injects a venom into the listener and the speaker. for instance, how many times have you heard statements like these: "He hasn't even been baptized." or "Why isn't your husband here?" Simple statements of fact, right? Yet the implication is that the speaker knows the heart of the one being discussed. Furthermore, it can be not of true desire to love that person but to separate them from the speakers "acceptance group". It is VERY hard to develop a sense in this matter. Every one of us will slip up. Our very means of communication leave open interpretations, and loving statements can be interpreted as gossip.

Ask for forgiveness, seek to love the offended if it happens to you, overtly or by mistake. May the true Judge of all things heal our conscience to be aware of our gossip transgressions.

Now we have revealed some of the actual spiritual boundaries in the walk of life. Even these simple practical examples can turn into legalistic requirements both within ourselves and in our communities. Our choice is clear each and every day. Choose the life giving flow. Choose the tree that fills your spirit. Move in the river of life looking forward and you will not cross any boundaries.

The highest choice we can make is not to decide the fate of ourselves, or the fate of others. Even as a society, could we destroy the universe? We as of yet can not get much farther physically than our Moon, yet age to age our actions reveal the desire to rule the world, the universe. To judge the fate of others. It is the amazing mysterious trap for those who reject God. He gives us a greater choice. You, choosing of your own free will, to consume the waters of life, drink the Spirit, is the highest choice man can make. The President can't come close, sending armies here, relief there. Genghis Khan wasn't in your league even, with the vast conquering of Asia. Einstein created nothing but a description. All of these men and their accomplishments can not come close to the choice you can make every day of gaining more eternal life.

So to those who are still in that place, where they sense that submitting to Christ is somehow becoming a robot, or leads to individual confinement, I would ask you to call out to God for revelation concerning your free will. It is the natural fallen state of your soul to want preservation, want to control your destiny. It is the greatest lie that, you, sitting on the throne of your heart, judging what path will lead to success, is the Christian walk. You simply choose to know whats correct and what is incorrect. Then you attempt to live up to that, and cover up your nakedness. By this, you will not walk with God.

It matters not where you are as a believer. The greatest, holiest man alive today is Jesus in you. No other, be they good in your eyes or bad, believer or atheist, can measure against Christ. To focus on the boundaries is to become distracted. To consume more of Christ is the act of obedience, and the greatest application of our free will. No spiritual robots necessary.

If you find yourself in the torturous discusion externally or internally, about the boundaries and society, stop for a minute, and get a little bit of Life. This is the realm of philosophy, and has sent many a budding believer into a tailspin of grand proportion. You can navigate this realm, but you will need the Spirit, and the strong discernment provided by that life. Always remember this simple reality. If you experience renewed life, do that. If you are not experiencing renewed life, seek out the source. You can not fail, and God is faithful.