The Rules

Those with kids (and even those without) know that every kid has their own personality. Some kids are very easy to parent; you tell them to do something, and they do it. They know what the rules are, and they follow them. They just seem to always want to do the right thing. And then there’s the other kids. You know, the rule breakers, the limit testers, the ones that don’t give a hoot. Anyone who has seen our family in church likely knows which of our kids fit into each of these categories.

Our oldest seems to be afraid to get in trouble. He just likes to keep the peace and make sure that everyone is happy. And then there’s Turner. Our second born/middle child. He doesn’t care about what he’s been instructed to do, he’s likely going to do the opposite. And he’s likely going to do it with a little twinkle in his eye to show that he knows exactly what he’s doing to disobey. Ever seen that little blonde boy taking laps behind the pastor during the children’s message? Yup, that’s Turner, and he’s been told time and time again to just sit still for the two minutes he’s up at the altar, but alas, he has to do the opposite and make a scene. He drives us absolutely nuts!

But isn’t that how God feels about us too? We’ve been given the ultimate instruction manual, the Bible, to tell us exactly how we should live our lives, but no matter how hard we try, we always seem to fall short. And other times, we know exactly what the rule is, and with a little twinkle in our eyes, we choose to do what we shouldn’t as if God isn’t watching. According to the dictionary, the definition of save is “to rescue (someone or something) from harm or danger”. So, Jesus our Savior is someone that puts these this into action. God picks us up when we fall short, and by paying the ultimate price by dying on the cross He has claimed us as His own. This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try to do what it takes to follow God’s command, but how sweet it is to know that when we miss the mark, we will be saved and forgiven. Praise the Lord that Jesus is our Savior!

Prayer:

Lord, no matter how hard we try, we all sin and fall short. Thank you so much for being our Savior and claiming us as Your own. Amen.