In Progress...
Aren't we all still in the works?Friday, June 29, 2007
Rules.
So i have been thinking a lot lately about rules. Why do we have them? Do we really need rules? What makes us want to obey them? Why should we obey them? Duty or desire?
I remember as a kid having all kinds of very specific rules that I was supposed to obey. Rules like, "You should be in church when the doors are open," or "You shouldn't wear revealing clothing like bikini's" (not so much for me as my sisters), and "You shouldn't watch The Monkey's on television." For the most part, we kept the rules my parents set before us... but when I got older, I began to question the rules... Every time the church is open? Not even modest tankini's? But The Monkey's are just silly... they are harmless... aren't they?
The problem I see with rules is that they seldom explain why they exis and as a result, we focus much more on the rules themselves rather than why we have them to begin with. I am more interested in why we should attend church, or why we should be modest in our dress, and why we should be discerning in what we watch on the telly.
Don't get me wrong, I don't think rules are bad, but I believe that in order for rules to be effective they must have an explanation attached to them. I am a firm believer that people will do what they really believe because that is their desire. We can get people to do things out of duty, but normally only for a short period of time, and with some coercion, like the threat of punishment, or a promise of reward.
Let me begin to make this personal. Why do we obey rules and standards set forth in God's word? Is it because we fear that God will squash us if we don't? Or when we obey God will bless our socks off? Although those things might be true, the real reason we ought to obey is because we really want to. The desire to want to please and glorify God is the real motivator behind us doing the hard things that the world will think is a little nutty.
I will be starting a short series at the end of the summer to discuss principles for guiding our lives based on scripture. I am pretty excited to discuss these things with you all...
Mmmm... rules...
I remember as a kid having all kinds of very specific rules that I was supposed to obey. Rules like, "You should be in church when the doors are open," or "You shouldn't wear revealing clothing like bikini's" (not so much for me as my sisters), and "You shouldn't watch The Monkey's on television." For the most part, we kept the rules my parents set before us... but when I got older, I began to question the rules... Every time the church is open? Not even modest tankini's? But The Monkey's are just silly... they are harmless... aren't they?
The problem I see with rules is that they seldom explain why they exis and as a result, we focus much more on the rules themselves rather than why we have them to begin with. I am more interested in why we should attend church, or why we should be modest in our dress, and why we should be discerning in what we watch on the telly.
Don't get me wrong, I don't think rules are bad, but I believe that in order for rules to be effective they must have an explanation attached to them. I am a firm believer that people will do what they really believe because that is their desire. We can get people to do things out of duty, but normally only for a short period of time, and with some coercion, like the threat of punishment, or a promise of reward.
Let me begin to make this personal. Why do we obey rules and standards set forth in God's word? Is it because we fear that God will squash us if we don't? Or when we obey God will bless our socks off? Although those things might be true, the real reason we ought to obey is because we really want to. The desire to want to please and glorify God is the real motivator behind us doing the hard things that the world will think is a little nutty.
I will be starting a short series at the end of the summer to discuss principles for guiding our lives based on scripture. I am pretty excited to discuss these things with you all...
Mmmm... rules...
Labels: For Discussion...
posted by Stripedgecko # 10:56 AM 
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