Key Bible Verse: Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control (Psalm 32:9). Bonus Reading: Hebrews 12:5-11

As a playful Siberian husky pup, Wolfie stuck to our yard. But as he grew, he thought the entire subdivision was his yard. So we installed an invisible fence. A transmitter sent a signal to a wire buried at the property line. When Wolfie approached it, a battery-operated receiver on his collar would emit a beeping sound for two seconds. If he didn't back off, he'd receive an electrical jolt in the throat.

At first Wolfie thought the beeping was an animal in the grass and pounced to catch it. Then he would "catch it" and come yipping toward the house. It got so that when we opened the door for him to go out and play, he'd slink around beside the house. I had to throw a ball into the middle of the yard to show him there was plenty of chasing and catching room.

Wolfie was mildly hurt when he strayed too close to the edge, but he wasn't harmed. The invisible fence wasn't restrictive, but protective. Out there was a street where cars could kill him. God's commands are placed in love to protect us from the evils of a fallen world. The pain of what we may consider deprivation is nothing compared to the harm we risk without boundaries.

—Rich Miller in Breaking the Bondage of Legalism

My Response: Do I view God's commands as restrictive or protective?

Thought to Apply: The cost of obedience is always small compared to the cost of disobedience.—SOURCE UNKNOWN

Adapted from Breaking the Bondage of Legalism (Harvest, 2003) by permission.

Prayer for the Week

Help me, Lord, to realize that your commands are loving safeguards, not arbitrary restrictions.

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