Boundaries: Hold the Line
2 Timothy 2:22 “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”
Proverbs 27:17 “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”
Galatians 5:7 “You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?”
“Flee the evil desires of youth”. It takes maturity to both identify something that is an evil desire and then to make the decision to run the other way. Boundaries are important, yes, but it’s someone’s values, standards and deep integrity that ensure boundaries are respected and maintained. Without integrity and a strong commitment to Christ, boundaries are, at best, ‘suggestions’ for living a good life, but to those who don’t follow Christ, they’re an annoyance or limitation that stands in the way of what they believe will make them happy. Our sons and daughters need to know how to identify sin and need to have the uncompromising character to stand against it and refuse to flirt with it. They need to hold the line. Following Jesus brings joy. Satisfying your own desires brings emptiness.
When we pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace and we’re surrounded by others who are doing the same, there is great encouragement and accountability. It is a ‘brotherhood’ of believers who are all pushing and pulling one another in the direction of the cross. Each one helping to carry the burden of the other, and with a like-minded goal of living for the Lord. God intended us to follow Him, but He calls us to fellowship with one another in the process, to pray together, worship together and lift one another up. When we’re doing that, we are more likely to respect the boundaries God put in place because we have the encouragement and accountability of others. Together, we help one another hold the line God put in place. When one feels weak or tired, the others are there to help, lift them up and refresh them so they can stand firm.
The fellowship of believers is important and boundaries in friendships and relationships ensure that we’re ‘sharpening’ one another. A knife is best sharpened by another metal… It doesn't work to sharpen it against wood or cloth. And no matter how much time you spend trying, it just won’t work. This is why God calls us to interact, befriend and fellowship with other believers, without that, we become dull. Our friends and closest companions should be ones who sharpen us, challenge us and keep us accountable to follow Jesus.
Our sons and daughters need friends and mentors who are committed to the Word of God and to an uncompromising life that follows after Him. When we have friends like that, they also protect us. It’s true, there is strength in numbers! Godly friends can help keep the Enemy from cutting in and derailing our walk with the Lord. Encouragement, prayer, caution, accountability- they are all marks of a good and Godly friendship and can help us identify and hold to the truth of the Gospel, without wavering.
God has so many protections in place for us, we need to be mindful and be willing to accept those boundaries as the ‘guardrails’ for our path, ensuring that we’ll arrive in His presence safe and well, having run the race Jesus set out for us.
Today, let’s pray that our sons and daughters:
Hold fast to integrity to respect and abide by the boundaries God put in place.
Run from temptation
Pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace
Surround themselves with friends and mentors who believe the same
Find friends who sharpen them
Be wary of those people who would potentially pull them away from the Lord.
Pray without ceasing.