“The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul.” (Proverbs 16:17)
Those of the world hate any prohibition, limitation, or restriction placed upon them. They want unfettered “freedom” and unlimited power to do whatever they want to. They hate the word, “No.” They will not tolerate: “You can’t.” It wouldn’t matter if they were permitted to eat from every tree in the garden. How dare they be told that there is one that is off-limits?
They may believe that children need to be kept away from certain things for their safety; but adults have no such need. Armed with greater reason, adults know how to make choices that are in their own best interests. Wrong. Adults need God’s parental oversight every bit as much as children. Without His leadership in their life they make bad choice after bad choice, in things both large and small.
It is pure arrogance to believe we can order our lives properly without God’s input. Our ears need to be finely tuned to what He would say to us. When He tells us, “No,” we don’t whine, or go ahead anyway; we say, “Thank you, Abba. Thank you for preserving my soul.”
When will we grow up into the maturity of the Son? When we appreciate God’s oversight and gladly wear His yoke. When we have no problems with the boundaries He sets for us. When we appreciate the love He shows us in keeping us from what would harm us. When we love His “No.”