On this Pastor’s Appreciation let’s look...

 ...at one more of these laws of boundaries. Galatians 6:1-5 (NKJV) “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For each one shall bear his own load.” 

1. The Law of Evaluation. Sometimes when we have to confront someone, we don’t want to do it because we are afraid that it will hurt them. Often leaders have to take responsibilities from someone who is not performing well. You may be reluctant to do it but you have to evaluate whether your decision will harm the person. Telling the person may hurt them but it probably will not harm them. There is a difference. It hurts when a dentist drills on my teeth to get rid of a cavity but is he harming me? Of course not. He is helping me to not have worse future problems. Hurt and harm are different. When you eat the sweets that give you the cavities does it hurt? Of course not, it feels good. Does it harm you in the long run? Yes! So that is my point here. Things can hurt us and not harm us. In fact, they can even be good for us. And there are things that may feel good at the time that can be harmful to us. So here is the question…should we avoid setting good godly boundaries because doing so may cause someone to be hurt or get angry? I believe Jesus calls this choosing the narrow gate…not the broad way.

In light of Pastor’s Appreciation, sometimes the boundaries we share with people seem so confining and so limiting. The whole idea about boundaries is about having limits or lines that cannot be crossed. Jesus says narrow is the gate and difficult is the way but I am glad He did not stop there…which leads to life. When we give biblical boundaries we are not trying to harm you but we are trying to help you find life. John 10:10 (NKJV) “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Do you understand what this verse is all about? It is about gates and boundaries and about someone who loves you enough to keep you safe and having a blessed life. Deciding to set boundaries is difficult because it requires decision making and confrontation, which, in turn, may cause pain in someone you love. Sometimes the truth hurts (not harms) but it still needs to be said.