By Shirley Rosemarie Evans
But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden – except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”
Genesis 2:16-17 NLT
I can remember that, as a child, my mother would often, as any good parent, place boundaries and restrictions on my actions and behaviours. My mother was the type that she would tell you once or twice, but she was not in the habit of repeating herself. As a Jamaican woman, she had many adages, and one of her favourites for any act of disobedience was ‘If you can’t hear, you will feel.’ Feel not always because she would respond with some form of punishment, but also it was a warning that our actions have a natural consequence.
If you tell a small child not to touch the iron and then the second you turn your back, they touch it, then, of course, they will get burnt. Child psychologists will tell you that setting boundaries for our children is necessary to protect and nurture them so that they can successfully navigate and make sense of the world.
God, as a good Father and an expression of His delight in His creation, Adam and Eve, planted a lush paradise called Eden filled with every kind of tree. God, being a generous Father, told them that they could eat of any tree in this paradise bursting with fruit of every kind. They could enjoy them all, bar one. This seems more than fair most would agree. The ruler of all things has given you a fruitful garden full of limitless delights to enjoy, except for one tree - The tree of knowledge of Good and Evil.
The restrictions God placed on man were for our good. Another word for restrictions is boundaries. Here, where I live, in North Carolina, land boundaries are important, marking the dividing line between one person’s property and the other. For believers, we, too, must have clear boundaries between the kingdom of God and all other kingdoms. God’s kingdom is marked by righteousness and peace. We serve a God who loves us and desires that we choose Him and choose to be in a relationship with Him.
Choosing Him means that we get to enjoy all that He so generously gives – His presence, intimacy, peace, security, joy and hope, eternity the list goes on. Things this world cannot offer are freely available to us. We place a boundary line and jealously guard against anything that would negatively impact the freedoms we enjoy under the rule of Christ, so we say no to anger, lying, sexual immorality, selfish ambitions, pride, self-rule, etc.
Establishing boundaries means taking responsibility for our choices. God gives us the freedom to choose to live within His Boundaries, accepting that restrictions are necessary. Or we can choose to reject, but choosing to live outside of God’s boundaries is to accept the consequences “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23).
Ask: Why is it humanity’s natural inclination to push back against boundaries?
Seek: How are you protecting and enjoying the boundaries that make for an intimate relationship with God through Christ Jesus?
Knock: Offer up a prayer to God, thanking Him for the boundaries that enable us to enjoy the fullness of a right relationship with Him.
