Don't Don't Don't...

Scripture:
Deuteronomy 30:15-20 (NASB)

“See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the Lord your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it. But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

Devotional:

Rules, regulations, don’t do this, and don’t do that.  It seems every time we turn around there is a new rule or law telling us what not to do.  Then we turn to the Bible and it is filled a bunch of don’ts as well.  What happened to being free?  People have thoughts about not being a Christian because of all the rules.  All the “do not do this or that” supposedly turns them away.  They turn away in the illusion of being free.  

But where is real freedom?  Why do we have all these rules?  Why do we have to follow them?  True freedom comes in our bondage to Christ.  The rules we follow are for our own good.  After all we give our kids rules.  Don’t go across the street is just one rule.  Kids ask why, and they don’t understand it is for their protection.  People ask God why and don’t realize it is for our welfare.  There is something more important than following the do not do this or that rule.  Why focus on what we cannot do?  Why not focus on what we are to do?  Instead of complaining that we cannot do, or have something we should look at what we can have or do.  Changing our focus will help us maintain our alignment toward God.  We will be too busy to care about the things we can’t do.  

We limit our kids TV or “screen” time.  There are times when they want to do nothing but watch a movie.  We shift their focus from a movie to riding a bike or reading a book.  We encourage them to play with a favorite toy or game.  Most of the time, they will soon forget about watching TV.  There are days when the TV remains forgotten.  Then there are days when not even thirty minutes go by and they want to watch something.  The plan is to change their focus so they don’t think about what they can’t have.  Instead they enjoy what they do have.  Just as with our kids there will be times when you shift your focus from the rules of don’ts to the things you should do will work.  Then there will be times when you quickly focus on the rules again.  Remember in the end a parent gives their children rules of don’ts for their own good.  God gives us rules of don’ts for our own good.  

Instead of thinking of Christianity as a rule book look at it as a relationship.  Focusing in this way may help forget all the don’ts.  After focusing on your relationship with Christ, you just might find you don’t have the time, or desire, to do any of the don’ts.