Relational Boundaries

Leviticus 20:7-8 NIV

“ ‘Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the Lord your God. Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the Lord , who makes you holy.' "

We are surrounded.  Completely immersed.  It tries to seep through.  There is little left.  Maybe 10? 5? 2?  Is that enough?  Can any survive?

Sounds hopeless.  I wonder what Lot was thinking as his home was surrounded by those seeking to fill there lusts.  Vile men and women filled the streets.  Red light districts are tame in comparison. 
Yet Lot tried to survive.

Many have heard this story, and it was probably well known to the tribe of Levi.  Your relatives is not always a saving grace.  Abraham just happened to please God and prayed for Lot's safety.  Abraham had consecrated himself before God.  This is why God approaches him.  God gets close to those who choose to get close to Him.

This is not an easy task.  Sometimes we expect God to just say *poof* and everything will be alright.  But in the verse we have an active role to play in our faith journey.  First, we must consecrate ourselves.  This is the hard part.  It means to set oneself apart.  For us, it means to belong to God and keep away from the things that displease Him.  We remove negative influences from our lives.  We stay away from negative influencers - people who drag us down instead of building us up.

We are also to be holy.  Get this - we are to be a sanctuary.  A sanctuary is a place set aside for worship, safety, and security.  God seeks a place in our hearts to anchor our relationship with Him. 

Holiness means we are actively living a life that honors God.  Jesus explains this life as one that offers hope and help to others (Matthew 25:40).  Holiness helps us to recognize God's presence and what He desires of us.

God prefaces this call to holiness with a need for following the decrees of God.  God gives us these decrees to teach us how to set up boundaries.  These boundaries help is to relate with God and how to relate with others. 

Everything God does is relational.  When people continuously disregard these boundaries, they face the wrath of God.  Why?  Is He a tyrant?   Is He unfair?  The answer is no.  God sets boundaries so people learn how to relate better.  Continuous disregard needs tweaking from time to time.  God is slow to anger.  He gives people more than an opportunity to change.  But when they refuse...
God makes us holy.  He sets the standard.  We do not have any right to change it or disregard it.  To do so is to refuse God and to play god instead.  Are you playing god with your relationships or are you following God's design for relationships?

Abraham did not try to play God.  He asked God how God would relate to those who choose Him.  God honored Abraham's concerns.  Lot is rescued but at a cost.  You see...Lot had put himself under the influence of negative people.  The rest is history.