Life without Limits
I drove up the road, chasing our cow with the family van. He had left our homestead and decided to make friends with my neighbor’s cows. Now, I am no cowboy, but a friend of the family made us a deal on a calf last year, and we raised him on our acreage.
Many people feel “fenced in” by God.
Instead of seeing the green pasture He provides and the protection within the fence, they see a world outside they want to explore. My steer did not understand the danger of 18-wheelers and 4×4’s that could turn him into hamburger. He only saw greener grass and some heifers that could really put on the moooves. It took someone smarter (that’s me by the way) who could look out for his own best interest to keep him eating the right food (instead of the Wal-mart bags in the ditch).
We do not live inside a fence of rules, however.
We live inside the parameters of Jesus Christ and His righteousness. People who live on the fence are looking at rules of “do not touch, do not taste, do not handle” (Colossians 2:21) which make life very limiting. Those who gallop across the countryside have experienced the freedom of pursing Christ’s identity of loving, serving, encouraging, and praying.
“Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (touch not; taste not; handle not; which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.” (Colossians 2:20-23)
The bounds of love
We also own a wonderful little border collie. She does not wear a collar and we have never tied her out on a chain. She can go anywhere she pleases since our yard is not fenced and she can duck under the barbed wire fences. She, however, never leaves. She might go out back and chase rabbits for part of the day or just sit on the back porch and smile and wag when we walk by. I do not have to fence her in because she loves us and appreciates our care. She does not go to the neighbors for dinner, she trusts us to feed her. Spiritually, I would rather be a dog than a cow by setting my own boundaries out of love rather than wires.
God has given you a grand estate to enjoy: a world full of life and hope. You could sneak through the fence to catch up on what you have been missing (like potholes, cussing drivers, and lack of water), or you can enjoy the turf He has given you in this life. You can relax in the breeze of the Spirit, feast on what His Word provides, and inhale the beauty of His love. When we get to the big round up in the sky, we will enjoy a two-million square-mile ranch with no fences.