Rules are those things that are put into place to guide us and often protect us as we go along our way in life. Some are easy to follow, but others are more difficult because we simply don’t want to yield to them. 

Think back to when you were a young child and your parents told you not to do something. If you were like me, you always wanted to know why you had to obey. It’s one thing to ask this question when you are very young and honestly have a need to understand things (as you are learning to use your brain and process everything around you), but it’s another thing to constantly question something because you just don’t want to do it. 

Teenagers often challenge the decision making process of their parents because they believe that they should be able to make choices about their lives for themselves without parental interference. When they break the rules that their parents have set, they may find themselves being “grounded” or incurring some temporary loss of privileges and given time to think about the error of their ways.

Like the teenager, we feel that we are intelligent enough to make correct choices for ourselves based on how we feel or what we can see with our own eyes. Our sinful nature, often makes us “defiant” like willful teenagers when we hear or read God’s rules. It is only when we make the wrong choice and have a terrible outcome that we then cry out to God for help.

God in his infinite wisdom is our supreme parent.  He knows what things may bring us harm, or worse, damage our relationship with Him. If you read the first five books in the Old Testament (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) known as the Pentateuch, they give the Israelites strict instructions to follow to govern their lives. God gave a simplified list of His directives when He gave Moses the 10 Commandments.

So why can’t we (like the Israelites) follow them?  Some people blame the devil for everything wrong that they do in their lives.  However, if we are honest, the devil may play 50% by tempting us, but the bottom line is, our free will and sinful nature play the other 50%.

Whether it is about our physical, mental, financial, relational or spiritual health, wouldn’t it be better to follow God’s rules instead of getting ourselves into trouble then having to ask Him to get us out of it? 

Thank goodness for God’s grace, mercy and forgiveness!