Live Fence Free

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appear at my main site: http://www.danieljkoren.com/.

 

I drove up the road, chasing our cow with the family van. He had left our homestead and decided to make friends with my neighbor’s cows. Now, I am no cowboy, but a friend of the family made us a deal on a calf last year, and we raised him on our acreage.

Many people feel “fenced in” by God.

Instead of seeing the green pasture He provides and the protection within the fence, they see a world outside they want to explore. My steer did not understand the danger of 18-wheelers and 4x4’s that could turn him into hamburger. He only saw greener grass and some heifers that could really put on the moooves. It took someone smarter (that’s me by the way) who could look out for his own best interest to keep him eating the right food (instead of the Wal-mart bags in the ditch).

We do not live inside a fence of rules, however.

We live inside the parameters of Jesus Christ and His righteousness. People who live on the fence are looking at rules of “do not touch, do not taste, do not handle” (Colossians 2:21) which make life very limiting. Those who gallop across the countryside have experienced the freedom of pursing Christ’s identity of loving, serving, encouraging, and praying.

“Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (touch not; taste not; handle not; which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.” (Colossians 2:20-23)

The bounds of love

We also own a wonderful little border collie. She does not wear a collar and we have never tied her out on a chain. She can go anywhere she pleases since our yard is not fenced and she can duck under the barbed wire fences. She, however, never leaves. She might go out back and chase rabbits for part of the day or just sit on the back porch and smile and wag when we walk by. I do not have to fence her in because she loves us and appreciates our care. She does not go to the neighbors for dinner, she trusts us to feed her. Spiritually, I would rather be a dog than a cow by setting my own boundaries out of love rather than wires.

God has given you a grand estate to enjoy: a world full of life and hope. You could sneak through the fence to catch up on what you have been missing (like potholes, cussing drivers, and lack of water), or you can enjoy the turf He has given you in this life. You can relax in the breeze of the Spirit, feast on what His Word provides, and inhale the beauty of His love. When we get to the big round up in the sky, we will enjoy a two-million square-mile ranch with no fences.

Do the Pajama Dance

The scandal of a half-naked king must have given the pundits and bloggers something to criticize. If they had news networks, they all would have shown up to give this disgrace some prime-time coverage. We may not be able to say exactly why David took off his kingly robes to dance before the presence of the Lord, but we can follow his example. My guess is that David only knew how to worship God as David, not as a national official (II Samuel 6:14). He did not learn to play a harp at church. He learned it all alone on a grassy hillside as he worked out his unique abilities to exalt the Almighty. How much we could learn from his example.

Do you dance in your pajamas?

If David got excited about his God who lived in a box (the ark of the covenant) how much more we should get excited about our God who lives in our hearts! Is your relationship with God cold and formal? Get real with Him. Read His word and fall in love with Him in truth. When His Spirit fills you, you should feel like shouting, jumping, running, and maybe even cutting the rug.

If we are going to get excited about the Lord Jesus at church, however, we should first dance at home, in our pajamas. Wearing the Sunday dress or brand new suit should not be our only time to get crazy about Jesus, as if to put on a show. If we are going to shout for God, it should begin when we are alone with Him in the prayer closet. God needs to see my actions as worship to Him before anyone else does. Too many times the people who jump on Sunday droop through the rest of the week. The soprano in the choir could sound like an angel on the weekend but gripe like the devil all week. What good is it to shout for Jesus at church if I shout at my wife and kids at home? Our homes and prayer closets must build the foundation of our walk with God (Matthew 6:6).

Get more vile than this

King David did not care if people thought he was common. He loved God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength. He did not have a public worship face and a private alternative. He only knew how to worship God with everything within him. He did not know how to sing without his homemade harp. He could not fight a battle with borrowed armor, just the weapon he had perfected alone with God’s help. He did not know how to jump, run, and spin in the presence of the Lord in those bulky robes. He only knew how to dance in his pajamas and he did it with all his might.

When his wife criticized him, he shrugged it off. He said, “I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight” (II Samuel 6:22). In other words, “Honey, you haven’t seen anything yet!” Before you make a scene at church again—in fact, even before you are seen at church again, get real before God. Let Him hear your voice alone. Worship him with all your heart where no one can see. Then, when you feel the urge in public, it will not be a drama, but a reality show.