Following God’s rules is a lot of work. At least, it can sometimes seems that way. Jesus died for your sins and set you free. So why does it feel like you have to be a slave to rules?
If Christianity seems like nothing but a lot of rules, then perhaps you are misunderstanding what the purpose of those rules is.
Hi, I’m Lauren Thell, author of Christian YA fiction and blogger for teens who are ready to exceed the world’s expectations.
In This Article
The Purpose of Rules
God gave us rules for two reasons:
- So we’ll know how to love him.
- So we can fully enjoy his love for us.
Rules give us safe boundaries as well as direct guidelines on how to get the most out of something. God has given us so many cool gifts, but none are meant to outshine his love. Only he can fulfill all your desires, and abiding by his commands keeps you on the only road to true pleasure. I talk more about this in my post A Rare Treasure: Discover True Christian Joy.
Rules also give us a chance to love God. See my post How To Love God: What is God’s Love Language?
“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”
John 15:11
But how do you move beyond following God’s rules as if they were chains and instead view them as the pathway to joy?
It’s all in the questions you ask. Instead of asking, “How much can I get away with?” trying asking this: “How will this help me to treasure Christ more?”
Consider a few practical ways to apply this.
The Right Questions to Ask When Following God’s Commands
In Your Wardrobe
How many inches does my skirt need to be? How low can I go with my blouse? Is this dress too tight? Are leggings and bikinis okay?
These are all legitimate questions for young Christian women, but the problem is they tend to focus too much on what we aren’t allowed to have. The next time you look in your closet to find an outfit or go shopping for a new swimsuit, ask yourself this: How will this help me honor the one who gave his life for me? Taking this question to heart will help you make clothing choices that don’t distract others from the love of Christ.
In Your Dating Life
The most frequently asked question when it comes to physical intimacy in dating is: How far can we go?
This is a hotly debated topic amongst Christian circles. Some say kissing is okay, others frown upon it. And, of course, there are various degrees of kissing, some that aren’t too far away from engaging in actual sex. The Bible says we are to flee from sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 6:18-20), but it doesn’t lay out the gritty rules of exactly how that applies in your dating relationship.
If you find yourself in this situation, ask yourself: How can my boyfriend/girlfriend and I treasure Christ with our relationship? This applies not only to how intimate you are, but how you chose to spend your time together.
Related: The Right Reason For Purity: Do You Know What It Is?
In Your Hobbies
Most of us don’t spend a lot of time considering God’s Word when it comes to choosing our hobbies and interests. They just sort of fall into place. I wasn’t interested in sports as a teen, but I had a strong ear and the right kind of discipline to study music. Someone else might be the opposite way.
The problems begin when our hobbies become our new religion.
The problems begin when our hobbies become our new religion. When you find yourself spending all your time living for the thrill of achievement or the rush of adrenaline, your focus is probably off. God created things like art, music, and sports for our enjoyment, not to be used as replacements for him.
Always ask yourself: How can I use my talents and interests to glorify the Creator who gave them to me?
In Your Career
As with your hobbies, what you pursue as a career is going to take up a lot of your time. So you’ll want to find something that not only suits your abilities, but also serves God.
This doesn’t mean you have to become a missionary. But how you choose to make money can either draw you closer to God, or drive you apart and further from true joy. True joy is not found in achievement and financial gain. True joy is found in oneness with Christ.
The question to ask when choosing a job or career: How will this bring me closer to God?
You don’t have to have all the answers.
but, hey, why not?
Bring me your questions about faith, life, God, the Bible… and I’ll help you find the answers.
In Your Reading and Listening
Books, magazines, websites, blogs, social media, movies, music… What do these things have in common?
They fill your mind with thoughts. Those thoughts can either be nurturing thoughts or destructive thoughts. What you feed your mind determines how you think, and the more you think and meditate on an idea, the more it becomes a part of you. That’s why pornography is so addictive. It starts with one little glimpse and the mind turns it over and over until it wants more. Soft porn turns into hard porn because the mind can’t help but meditate on what it has seen.
So the next time you get together at a friend’s house and are deciding if a movie is okay to watch, or are perusing the aisles of your local bookstore looking for a good novel, ask yourself this question: Will this media nourish my mind with godly thoughts, or will it send me on a death spiral away from Christ?
Following God’s Rules Can Be a Joy!
God’s rules are good. Learn how to use them to grow your relationship with Jesus.
More Resources:
- Desiring God as the Ultimate Source of Pleasure
- From Chore to Treasure: How My Joy Transformed My Christianity (article from DesiringGod)