Colouring Inside the Lines

He assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command. Proverbs 8:29

How do you respond to boundaries? Are you happy to live within the cordon, perhaps finding a sense of safety and freedom inside the assigned space? Or, are you a little rebellious, not wanting to be restricted in what you do?

God put limits in place for all of creation. He set the laws of nature in place; He established the rules of the universe and engineered them into His design. ‘He made firm the skies above, he established the fountains of the deep, he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command’ (v28,29).

God put limits in place for all of creation, but the human element decided that they would transgress His command. God gave us freedom of will and we continually push the boundaries of that freedom, allowing our wilfulness to take control. We feel constricted within the assigned space and want to colour outside the lines.

You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. Genesis 2:16

When God assigns a limit, it is for our benefit and good. He sees the whole picture and He knows the dangers that lie outside of the cordon. We are in the world but no longer of it, and the only way to appreciate the danger of crossing the line is to be sanctified in the truth of God’s Word. God wants to keep us from being part of the ugliness that surrounds us; He wants to keep us holy, living life in the full extent of His goodness.

Trust the wisdom of God and live a life full of beauty and colour within the lines He has drawn.