Ep. 48 | Boundaries | Genesis

Listen in as Pastor Eddie Blalock shares today’s daily devotional featuring Genesis 1:6-13. Let’s be Formed by The Word together!

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:01

Every story has a beginning. And if you don't understand the beginning, you'll likely misunderstand everything that follows. Welcome to Formed by the Word. Currently, we're going back to the very beginning as we look together at the first 11 chapters of Genesis. These chapters explain our world, our struggles, and much about ourselves. We'll see beauty and brokenness, purpose and pride, judgment and grace. We'll watch humanity fall and see that God already had a plan to restore his relationship with us. The Bible doesn't start with a problem, it starts with a perfect God, and that changes everything. So, wherever you're listening, whether you're driving, working out, or just scrolling for something meaningful, lean in, open your heart, because the God who spoke in the beginning is still speaking today.

SPEAKER_00 0:56

The Snake Trail, also called the Snake Path, is the classic iconic hiking route up the eastern side of Masada, an ancient fortress atop a dramatic plateau overlooking the Dead Sea in Israel. It's a historic path, originally built during King Herod's time, that would be around 35 BC, as the main access route and later uses a back door to the fortress. And it was on my bucket list for years. Not to see it, but to climb it. The trail earned its name from its steep, winding switchbacks that resemble a snake slithering up the mountain. Hiking, it combines physical challenge and stunning views of the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth, by the way, and the Moab Mountains in Jordan. So one year on a tour to Israel, not long ago, I finally worked up the nerve to climb the trail. I was a bit nervous, frankly, because while it's not terribly long, maybe a couple of miles up, it's very, very steep. Also, I had to erase the clock because I didn't want the rest of my group to have to wait on me. They were on the top already viewing the ancient city or the ancient palace. On the way to the top, the views were incredible, and I loved most of the hike. However, for certain stretches of the trail that were very, very steep and very, very narrow, I was a bit surprised that there were no guardrails in place. Osha would not have been happy. It was similar to driving on a narrow mountain road at night, you know, the kind that has the sharp turns and steep drop-offs, and you had just enough room for your car, and when you're on the road like that or a trail like the snake trail, you notice something you normally ignore. Guardrails. Nobody drives along or hikes along and says, These guardrails are really ruining my freedom right now. No, you're grateful for them. Because you know the guardrails aren't there to restrict you, they're there to protect you. However, often when it comes to life, we don't see boundaries that way. We hear God say this is right and this is not, and instead of seeing protection, we feel restrictions. But what if we've been looking at it all wrong? What if God's boundaries are not there to limit life, but to make life possible? When you open your Bible to Genesis 1, you discover something powerful. God creates not just by making things, but also by separating things, by creating boundaries. Let's read beginning in verse six of chapter one. It says, Then God said, There's those three words we talked about last time. Then God said, Let there be a space between the waters to separate the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth. And that is what happened. God made this space to separate the waters of the earth from the waters of the heaven, and God called the space sky. Evening passed and morning came, making the second day. Then God said, Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear. And that is what happened. God called the dry ground land and the waters the seas, and God saw that it was good. Then God said, Let the land sprout with vegetation, every sort of seed bearing plant and trees that grow seed bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kind of plants and trees from which they came, and this happened. The land produced vegetation, all sorts of seed bearing plants, and trees with seed bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind, and God saw that it was good. And evening passed, morning came, making the third day. Several things to notice here about this separation and these boundaries. In these verses, notice what God does. First of all, he separates the waters above from the waters below. He gathers the waters so the dry land can appear, and then he distinguishes the land from the sea. He assigns each its place, and each is designed to stay within its boundaries. Over and over again, God is doing one thing, setting these boundaries. Before this, everything was formless, unstructured, chaotic, but when God begins to speak, he doesn't just fill the world. He brings order by drawing lines, by creating boundaries. Now, here's the big idea that I want us to see from this. Notice that God creates order, beauty, and life by establishing boundaries. I know I've said that several times already, but I really want us to get it. Where there are no boundaries, there's no order, and where there is no order, life cannot flourish. Just like guardrails on mountain road, the water needed boundaries for it would not cover everything. The land needed boundaries for nothing could grow. Creation itself depends on limits, and without boundaries, there is no life, only chaos. Well, let's stop here for a gospel and Genesis moment, because I think we see a good gospel connection we can make here. We start with this thought. Sin is what happens when we reject God's boundaries. When we step outside his design, when we cross the lines that he has set for our good, sin is a result. One Hebrew word for sin literally means to twist or to turn. For example, an appetite is good, but if it's twisted, perverted, it becomes gluttony. Rest is good, but if it's twisted, perverted, it becomes laziness. Sex is good, but if it's twisted, perverted, it becomes adultery. So you see, Jesus came to restore what was broken, to bring us back into a right relationship with God, and to reorder our lives with boundaries that He has established. He has told us what things we must enjoy and what things we must stay away from. So let's put some handles on this for today. So a few thoughts of application. One, I would remind you of this. Boundaries are an important part of God's design. They're not a result of sin. They exist before sin enters the world. Therefore, limits are not punishment and structure is not oppression. Boundaries aren't a result of the fall, they're a part of God's design. Maybe we should rethink our views of boundaries. Second thing, boundaries make life flourish. It's only when the water is in its place that land appears and the seeds are planted and life begins to grow. Freedom doesn't come from removing boundaries, it comes from living within the right boundaries. Third, God's boundaries in our lives are protective. Just like guardrails, God sets up boundaries for our relationship, boundaries for our time, boundaries for our habits and our hearts. The guardrails that God's word sets in our lives are not to keep good things from us, but to keep destructive things from overtaking us. God's boundaries are guardrails, not handcuffs. So stop resisting God's boundary. Identify where you need God's order in your life, and then live within the boundaries that God has set for your life. And I think in the end you will say, This is good. Let's pray. God, thank you for the boundaries you've placed in my life and help me to see them not as restrictions, but as protection. Bring order where my life feels chaotic. Lord, teach me to trust your design and to live within it and renew our vision today, our perception of boundaries, our guardrails. And thank you for them. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

SPEAKER_01 8:25

Thanks for joining us today. We are so glad that you chose to spend a few moments with us in God's Word. If this episode has encouraged you, we ask that you leave us a review or maybe share this episode with a friend. Also, would you consider sending us a note to let us know what God is doing in your life? Pastor Eddie would love to hear from you. You can find this email in the show notes. Until next time, stay in the scriptures, keep following Christ, and allow your life to be formed by the Word.