Are you limiting God?

I came across a Bible verse this morning that I didn't understand at first.

Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. (Hebrews 4:1 KJV)

My first thought was "huh?" and I started to skip over the verse but was drawn back to it. After further study I found that Paul is simply saying that if I should fear anything as a follower of Christ, it should simply be that I place limits in my mind of what God can do!

I find that I tend to place God in a small box. This box has sides and a top that are all within my scope of reality and understanding. Do you do the same? Why is it that we do that and say at the same time that God is Omnipresent, Omnipotent, and without bounds?

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us... (Eph 3:20 NIV)

My prayer this morning was that I come to know the Father for who He really is. One without bounds and limits.

Does My Way Always Have to be Right?

Yesterday was a day of expanding my boundaries. You see, I'm a person that tends to do things in a set pattern or fashion and do not venture far from that path. This can be helpful at some times but limiting at others. In the areas of integrity, it helps to set up fences that help guard my integrity (see October 1 post). In these instances, I need to do it the same every time.

Where it is a problem though is in areas where the alternative method of doing something isn't wrong or incorrect... its just different. Truth be known, many times the alternative way of doing something is better!

I had two such instances of this yesterday. I had someone assist me in ushering yesterday in church and she did her job differently than my usual assistant. It was fine and she did very well but I was all torqued out of shape because it was different. (I hear me telling myself to 'Get Over It'!)

Yesterday afternoon was a time of great bonding as a family as my wife, daughter and I worked on a fence in the front yard. I so appreciate their help but felt tension on the inside when something was not done exactly as I would have done it. I'm sure that they felt that tension also. Here they are helping me and I'm not able to bend. How much better would the bonding moments have been if I was flexible on the things that just really don't make a difference in the long run. I'm sure that there would have been more laughter and just plain fun.

Help me God to be flexible and not rigid on the things that ultimately just don't matter in the long run.