Boundaries Have You Set Boundaries For Your Life? Check Out What Happens When You Don’t…

Today’s "Life Journal" Daily Bible Reading can be found on Line. Click Here!
2 Samuel 11; 2 Samuel 12; Psalm 51; Matthew 23

Boundaries

Have You Set Boundaries For Your Life? 

Check Out What Happens When You Don’t…

 

Scripture

2 Samuel 11

² Late one afternoon, after his midday rest, David got out of bed and was walking on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath. ³ He sent someone to find out who she was, and he was told, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” ⁴ Then David sent messengers to get her; and when she came to the palace, he slept with her.

2 Samuel 12


¹¹ “This is what the Lord says: Because of what you have done, I will cause your own household to rebel against you. I will give your wives to another man before your very eyes, and he will go to bed with them in public view. ¹² You did it secretly, but I will make this happen to you openly in the sight of all Israel.”
¹³ Then David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”

Psalm 51

¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God.
    Renew a loyal spirit within me.

16 You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one.
    You do not want a burnt offering.
 
¹⁷ The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.
    You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. 

Observation

King David did not set boundaries for his life, or if he did set boundaries he yielded to temptation and decided to ignore any boundaries that he may have established for his personal behavior. David committed adultery and then committed murder to try to hide his sin. 

God sent the prophet Nathan to confront David and to let David know that his life would never be the same. The consequences of David’s sin were the destruction of his family life and a life full of trouble brought about by this sinful act. 

I have watched so many of my fellow pastors fall into the same trap and once they yield to the temptation of sexual immorality their lives are never the same. 

So set yourself boundaries and don’t ever cross them. Here are some suggestions:

1.      If you are married don’t ever eat a meal alone with a person of the opposite sex. Don’t kid yourself – if you go to lunch alone with that person you can fall into sexual sin.

2.      Don’t ever give a person of the opposite sex a ride in your vehicle if it is just the two of you. You can fall into sexual sin or the other person can accuse you of sexual misconduct.

3.      Don’t counsel a person of the opposite sex if it is just the two of you – you may think that you are going to help them with their marriage or relationship problems, but you could become emotionally involved with the person and fall into sexual sin. 

Here are a couple of others that I have for myself. 

1.      I don’t go to Hooter’s or any establishment like it.

2.      I don’t watch Victoria Secret commercials on the television or watch bedroom scenes in a movie or on a television program - if one comes on I turn my head.

3.      I don’t look at Victoria Secret advertisements or magazines that use women to get a guy’s attention.  

You may think that these are stupid but these boundaries help me. 

I have been married to Kathy for 42 years and I plan of staying happily married to Kathy until the day the Lord takes me home. 

I don’t want to do something stupid like David did and I also don’t want to suffer the cost that David suffered. How about you?   

Application

I will keep the boundaries that I have set for my life.  

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I admire King David for all the good things that he did. I love the Psalm’s that he wrote and I read them all the time. I don’t admire his act of adultery with Bathsheba. I know that I could fall into the same trap if I don’t constantly stay on my guard. Keep me from sinning. Keep me from doing something stupid like David did. Help me to stay strong. Protect my pastor friends from sexual immorality. Help them to establish boundaries for their lives and help them keep those boundaries. 

Today’s "Life Journal" Daily Bible Reading can be found on Line. Click Here!