Restraint

"Guided by Chesterton, I came to see sex, money, power, and sensory pleasures as God's gifts which, in a fallen world, must be handled with care, like explosives. We have lost the untainted innocence of Eden, and now every good thing represents risk as well, holding within it the potential for abuse. Eating becomes gluttony, love becomes lust, and along the way we lose sight of the One who gave us pleasure. The ancients turned good things into idols; we moderns call them addictions. In either case, what ceases to be a servant becomes a tyrant." Philip Yancey

Restraint is the line crossed between gifts of God and sin. Overindulgence is how we cross God. He gives us what is needed to satisfy the hungers of the flesh. The rebellious self is the perpetrator. One of his favorite words is deserve. The self is always telling us what we deserve. Well I got news for you, He gave us more than we needed or deserved. He gave us His son Jesus, his image, and pieces of his heart that dwell within us. We were and are not satisfied with such. Disobedience was willfully embraced. Knowledge was wrongfully obtained. This is the original example(Adam & Eve) of humans not being satisfied with their place nor quality in or of life. Another way for them to say what God has given us is not good enough.

Discipline is a must in the relationship with God and Jesus. We are riding in his buggy of Life. Jesus is the one with the reins. Adequate driver and navigator would be the understatement of the year. Unlike most men, He will not get lost for He knows the path of your life! Dissatisfaction rises up within us, and we rise up to jerk the reins out of Jesus' hands. We "know" what is best for us and we "deserve" more. This attitude got us in the predicament that we are in today.

We must accept that there are gifts lying in wait in this world that have requirements and restrictions. There are laws surrounding them. We must not only have discipline but respect concerning these. Respect for the Father's wishes. Respect for what Jesus did on the cross. Think on this question! What if Jesus said, "I don't deserve to die or suffer in this manner!"? Where would we be? Restraint and submission to God's will is a must. It gave us the freedom that we have now. Do not trample on God's heart. The Father knows what is best for His children. He gave us the best, and we stomped on it. Then, we were given God's first fruit-Jesus. STILL, proper respect was and is not given. The question you must ask is, "what right do I have to demand what I need or desire?"

The One who made you and the One who saved you gave adequate resources to be used in moderation. I once heard a song say the moderatin is a bad thing. Excess is en vogue. It is the thing to do. Here is a few things to think about. Excessive eating leads to obesity. Excessive lust(sex) leads to STDs. Excessive drinking leads to alcoholism. If not curbed, these results can lead to death. Death is never a good thing when life could have been so much longer and more fulfilling. Focus is a requirement of day to day living. We must keep our eyes on the boundaries that God established so very long ago. They say hindsight is 20/20. Well, we've seen the errors of those in the past.... what's our excuse?

kenny