No rules is just right for some

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If there were no rules, anything you do is ok. Through the Bible you can see this happen time and time again. If you look at the book of Judges, it’s crazy how bad people were when there were no rules. The movies about The Purge gives an example of this. When there is no rules, people do whatever they want. Some things need to change in order to make the overall result better.

Dick “Night Train” Lane was a person new rules were created for. Lane was one of the great Lions football players of all time (Check out the video below)…

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-top-ten/09000d5d81118473/Top-10-Most-Feared-Tacklers-Dick-Night-Train-Lane

He was scary and hit hard. There wasn’t a rule for facemask or clothesline tackles, so this is how he hit people. It was hard, fast and ruthless. When hall of fame players are saying you don’t go across the middle on this man, you have to understand how dangerous of a person he was. Two NFL rules were created because of this man and the way players were hurt because of him.

No rules isn’t always just right. Try to walk into Outback Steakhouse eat your meal and instead of paying your bill say “No rules, just right,” and walk out. I am going to guess you would be in a little trouble if you did this. No rules isn’t always the best. People were complaining about The Law and how it was different then what Jesus brought. People were confused and using The Law to trump what Jesus brought and was teaching. Paul responded to this in Galatians 3:18 and some of 19…

“What is the point, then, of the law, the attached addendum? It was a thoughtful addition to the original covenant promises made to Abraham. The purpose of the law was to keep a sinful people in the way of salvation until Christ (the descendant) came, inheriting the promises and distributing them to us.”

People thought by living by faith through The Law and paying attention to the law they would find salvation. Paul was telling them that the promise of Jesus was given before that and it trumps The Law that was given. As a result this allowed us to be saved by grace through faith.

Faith in Jesus is what gets us to heaven. You can’t do more good deeds then bad deeds and expect to get there. It’s not who you know that will get you to heaven. It’s faith in Jesus. People in the vicinity of where this letter to the Galatians had trouble understanding this.

Rules are created for a reason, but all the rules in God are trumped by one, eternal life is only given to us by faith in Jesus. Lane was an amazing football but they had to make rules in order so many people wouldn’t be hurt. God had laws created because people weren’t living quality lives and doing messed up things. Yet all the rules created didn’t trump the biggest one, Jesus. God promised Abraham that his line would continue and it ended up in Jesus. Through Jesus we can have faith and eternal life. All the rules can go along the wayside except the one that says the way to eternal life and salvation is through Jesus. When you truly believe that, it can and will change your life for the greater.

Have a great day.

No rules, just right

Imagine no rules. You do whatever you want whenever you want without consequences. Would that change what you do and how you act? Where there be bad or would the world be good? This slogan from a favorite restaurants of mine, Outback Steakhouse (Cheese fries + bloomin onion burger without sauce = heaven on earth). It makes you feel good, no rules just right. I am sure they thought this was a good slogan just as long as it wasn’t true as the bill hit the table.

If rules would continue to be added, that wouldn’t be fun would it? We are a people, a work in progress. God throughout history kept added to rules because people weren’t doing good things. Paul explains this in Romans 5:20-21…

“The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

God increase rules so people would sin more? Yes. It’s like a new rule in football made to protect people. Clothesline tackles were legal at one point but after seeing the damaged that it caused, they disallowed it. God did the same way, imagine rules that are here now and imagine what if they didn’t exist. Think of the sexual nature with relatives, I am glad rules were created to not allow that (Sorry Kentucky). If you wonder the world without rules and everyone had unlimited freedom look at the book of Judges in the Bible. Everyone could do what they wanted and the results were horrifying bad. Rape was prevalent among other things, there was no God so everyone did what pleased them. It was messed up. Rules are there for a reason.

Just like God gave us rules to follow, he gave us grace. There are rules to show we are human and there are rules to show we need God. We all sin, all make mistakes, I am no different and am a sinner. Yet through our mistakes it shows how amazing God is. He gave us (Not just for me, for everyone) Jesus, the only perfect person to die for all our mistakes.

You don’t have to live in guilt. Rules are there, we break the rules and we can still seek forgiveness when we call on the name of Jesus. No other person can offer the type of forgiveness that Jesus offers. Are you ready for that forgiveness? Jesus is there for you and no matter how much you mess up, you get that second chance. Enjoy the life that Jesus gave to you, you will mess up but you are given a second chance. There are rules, but you can still live right.

Have a great day.