Forbidden stuff
“…so the whole garden’s yours. Oh, except for that tree.”
“What tree?”
“That one, over there. Don’t eat that fruit.”
“Which fruit is it?”
(crunching sound)
Yes, forbidden fruit makes a great snack, even if it’s not all that good for us.
I love Neil’s point about kids wanting to go immediately to the thing we tell them not to – they didn’t even know how wonderful that thing was until we told them not to do it!
All kidding aside, knowing something is wrong is not the same as being able to stop doing it. If that were true, we wouldn’t have needed Jesus’ sacrifice. Woven into the fabric of the universe is the concept of light and dark, good and evil, right and wrong. It’s just that knowledge won’t save us. Relationship will.
How does our relationship with God keep us from doing what’s wrong, and giving up a part of our freedom? I’m thinking about what I tell my kids when we’re crossing the street together – hold hands, and stay close. That’s how we stay safe.
A close relationship with God will mean that I’m spending time with Him, listening to His heart, walking near enough to know what He wants. I can trust Him to keep me safe.
Neil says it in two ways, but he says the same thing.
ReplyDeleteLaying down the law for someone will not give them the power to stop doing something and demanding someone to a code of Spirituality will not produce a Spirit filled heart. So I think Neil is saying we can lead them gently and definitely lead by example but we can’t force them into a Spirit filled walk or to believe. It is through freedom that they come to believe just like you and I are given from God, the freedom to believe. God is truly a gentleman and we don’t have to believe but He invites us and gently speaks to us if we listen.
Michele – your example of crossing the street with the kids was perfect to illustrate this relationship. If we come in close enough to hear God and hold His hand He can protect us from dangers, but we have freedom and if we don’t come close He can’t help us.