What do you think about Boundaries?

[brakelite]

On 17/09/2016 at 3:05 AM, GoldenEagle said:

 

Hiya Brakelite!  

I pretty much agree with a lot of what you say here.

I wonder if you could give some examples of personal boundaries that harmonize "Thou shalt love God with all your heart, and your neighbor as yourself"? Or do you truly believe that the only boundary apart from the 10 commandments is not to be a part of the world? Please clarify.

God bless,
GE

 

About a years ago my wife and I 'rescued' a young family from poor housing and took them to our home until such time they found better accommodation. During their time with us, we wouldn't allow any drinking and they had to smoke outside. They respected this and I spet much time telling them of Jesus. They learned from living in our hoe, what our boundaries were by experience. As time went on, they came to honor them without any further instruction, for example, swearing or cursing is never heard in our home, and they discovered that boundary without being told.

They eventually found their own home, and moved out. Then a month or so ago due to redundancy we lost our own home. They kindly then were in a position to return the favor. The boundaries they learned in our home, without Jesus, became non-existent in their own home. I would continue to share for as long as they could understand what I was speakng of without going off track because of their drinking, but I would eave it there. Thier drinking howeer grew steadily worse, and recently became violent to the point threatening with a knife and a little blood letting and subsequently of police involvement. None of this involved us personally, but it was time to leave. We stayed to do what we could, through prayer and our personal witness, but we are told that there comes a time when the pearls are trampled, and we are to move on. Like it has been said before, our own sanctification sets the personal boundaries within ourselves, and we are all different. Some Christians drink and smoke, we don't. Some use slang, we don't. However it is not up to us to impose our standards on others, we are all on the same bus heading against the flow of general traffic and its impossible to impose laws/restrictions/ethics on people going in the opposite direction. We have all relinquished our lives to the Bus Driver, and we trust Him to negotiate the traffic and get us home on time and in good shape. We call on others to join with us on the bus, not enticing them on account of our own merits or "goodness", but on the merits of the Bus Driver. He sets the boundaries for each one of us depending on our state of growth and our willingness to surrender. Some may opt out and get off the bus. Others may, through their behavior, endanger other passengers and be thrown out. Still others may remain on the bus for the entire journey, but in the end be found without the wedding garment, and be asked to return. Life is hard enough to negotiate it for ourselves, without attempting to be some elses GPS.

[GoldenEagle]

@kwikphilly I agree with what you say! This goes along with Law #3 The Law of Power: God gives us the power to do many things. 

 

Examples from law #3: 

 

1. God gives us the power to agree with the truth about our problems. (Psalm 145:18, John 8:32 and KJV version here) 

2. God gives us the power to submit to our inabilities to God and He will turn our lives around. (Matthew 5: 3, 6 James 4:7-10, I John 1:9 and KJV version here)

3. God gives us the power to resist temptation and turn from evil. (1 Corinthians 10:13; James 4:7; and KJV version here)

4. God gives us the power to ask Him to help us with our developmental injuries and/or leftover childhood needs. (2 Corinthians 5:17-18, Galatians 2:20 and KJV version here)

5. God gives us the power to seek out those who have injured us and make amends. (Ephesians 4:32, Matthew 18:15-17; Hebrews 12:14 and KJV version here)

6. God gives us the power to forgive those who have hurt us! (Colossians 3:13; Matthew 18:21-22 and KJV version here)

 

What do you think sister?  
God bless,

GE

[kwikphilly]

 

Quote

 

@kwikphilly I agree with what you say! This goes along with Law #3 The Law of Power: God gives us the power to do many things. 

 

Examples from law #3: 

 

1. God gives us the power to agree with the truth about our problems. (Psalm 145:18, John 8:32 and KJV version here) 

2. God gives us the power to submit to our inabilities to God and He will turn our lives around. (Matthew 5: 3, 6 James 4:7-10, I John 1:9 and KJV version here)

3. God gives us the power to resist temptation and turn from evil. (1 Corinthians 10:13; James 4:7; and KJV version here)

4. God gives us the power to ask Him to help us with our developmental injuries and/or leftover childhood needs. (2 Corinthians 5:17-18, Galatians 2:20 and KJV version here)

5. God gives us the power to seek out those who have injured us and make amends. (Ephesians 4:32, Matthew 18:15-17; Hebrews 12:14 and KJV version here)

6. God gives us the power to forgive those who have hurt us! (Colossians 3:13; Matthew 18:21-22 and KJV version here)

 

What do you think Sister?                                                            GE

 

 

 

Blessings Brother......HAHA,I cannot getaway easy with you dear Brother,there's no "Amen" & partial reading,no faking it til ya make it,,,,,,your Threads always provoke thought,require reading Gods Word & due diligence..............FANTASTIC,I do pray everyone drinks from this cup filled with nourishment for the spirit,

Quote

King James Bible
But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Matthew 4:4

Praise Jesus!

 

Here goes,Bible in hand!!(LOVE IT GE)

1-Yes,& we must understand that the "Truth" is not a thing...He is a person.......Jesus is the TRUTH,the Way & the Life.......in Truth is in Christ,we are FREE in Christ

2-Funny,I accidentally turned to 1 John 1:9 instead of John 1:9.....no accident,lol   I John talks about Jesus being the LIGHT,it is all about coming into the Light,Submitting to Christ Lordship ....we become New Creatures ,the old is left in the darkness & no longer a hindrance

3-We are all Living Testimonies of this,,,,,,,What we alone could not resist has become possible in Christ

4-Putting away the old man,hanging the flesh upon the cross by a renewal of the mind..............great stuff!

5 & 6-With Christ there is no room for the spirit of pride,it should comer easy for anyone to be a peacemaker with the Prince of Peace abiding within,only the spirit of pride will make it difficult to forgive,it goes back to points 1,2,3 ,4 & 5..... submitting to Christ Lordship,renewing the mind & accessing the Power that transforms us into New Creatures

 

The LAW OF POWER i s FANTASTIC!!!!   Any Born Again Believer that is struggling with accessing Holy Spirits Power in their life & demonstrating that Power by their life has only one thing to consider,not that they have not enough FAITH,not that they have LESS Power than anyone else,not that that they are NOT indwelled but only that they themselves(flesh,carnality) is the stumbling block    There is but ONE Holy Spirit,His Power is GREATER than any other power,his Power is the very Same Power that raised Jesus dead physical body back to life to talk with us & prove to us what is beyond deaths door for every child of God & that a LIFE MORE ABUNDANT is available for every one that believes on Him........THe Comforter,the Helper,the Councilor is here,in us,with us,amongst us.............Call on Him                 With love-in Christ,Kwik

 

 

[GoldenEagle]

On ‎9‎/‎19‎/‎2016 at 10:06 AM, kwikphilly said:

Blessings Brother......HAHA,I cannot getaway easy with you dear Brother,there's no "Amen" & partial reading,no faking it til ya make it,,,,,,your Threads always provoke thought,require reading Gods Word & due diligence..............FANTASTIC,I do pray everyone drinks from this cup filled with nourishment for the spirit,

Praise Jesus!

 

Here goes,Bible in hand!!(LOVE IT GE)

1-Yes,& we must understand that the "Truth" is not a thing...He is a person.......Jesus is the TRUTH,the Way & the Life.......in Truth is in Christ,we are FREE in Christ

2-Funny,I accidentally turned to 1 John 1:9 instead of John 1:9.....no accident,lol   I John talks about Jesus being the LIGHT,it is all about coming into the Light,Submitting to Christ Lordship ....we become New Creatures ,the old is left in the darkness & no longer a hindrance

3-We are all Living Testimonies of this,,,,,,,What we alone could not resist has become possible in Christ

4-Putting away the old man,hanging the flesh upon the cross by a renewal of the mind..............great stuff!

5 & 6-With Christ there is no room for the spirit of pride,it should comer easy for anyone to be a peacemaker with the Prince of Peace abiding within,only the spirit of pride will make it difficult to forgive,it goes back to points 1,2,3 ,4 & 5..... submitting to Christ Lordship,renewing the mind & accessing the Power that transforms us into New Creatures

 

The LAW OF POWER i s FANTASTIC!!!!   Any Born Again Believer that is struggling with accessing Holy Spirits Power in their life & demonstrating that Power by their life has only one thing to consider,not that they have not enough FAITH,not that they have LESS Power than anyone else,not that that they are NOT indwelled but only that they themselves(flesh,carnality) is the stumbling block    There is but ONE Holy Spirit,His Power is GREATER than any other power,his Power is the very Same Power that raised Jesus dead physical body back to life to talk with us & prove to us what is beyond deaths door for every child of God & that a LIFE MORE ABUNDANT is available for every one that believes on Him........THe Comforter,the Helper,the Councilor is here,in us,with us,amongst us.............Call on Him                 With love-in Christ,Kwik

 

 

I'm going to just say Amen to all of this! Love that you looked up the passages in your physical Bible too.  

God's power is amazing! His Holy Spirit is such a beautiful Gift, Helper, and Teacher.

We cannot change anybody else, but we can allow God to change us.

God bless,
GE

[GoldenEagle]

Here's what I gleaned from the next law... Tagging some of the folks that have participated in this thread. @kwikphilly, @Openly Curious, @Butero, @hmbld, @Yowm, @Ezra, @Dok, @FresnoJoe, @other one, @natasha, @RobertS, @shiloh357, @Davida, @brakelite, @missmuffet, @Out of the Shadows, @*Deidre*, @Marilyn C, @RustyAngeL, @Flsnookman,

Law #4 The Law of Respect: We need to learn to hear other people’s no.

 

If we love and respect people who tell us ‘no’, they will love and respect our ‘no’. This might even be called the law of respecting other people's boundaries.

 

When we think about setting boundaries and trying to live by them, we fear that others will not respect them. We focus on others and lose clarity about ourselves. When we judge others’ boundaries, ours will fall under the same judgment. If we condemn others’ boundaries, we can expect them to condemn ours.

 

What does Jesus teach us in Matthew 7:3-5 and then in Matthew 7:12 (and KJV version here)? Could you paraphrase Matthew 7:12 to in reference to setting boundaries and respecting other’s boundaries?

 

To whom do you need to, in the spirit of Jesus, grant the freedom to be himself or herself and be different from you? (2 Corinthians 3:17 and KJV version here)

 

If we wish our boundaries to be respected we must respect those of others.

 

1. In what ways do you respect others’ right to say no? In what ways do you condemn their right to say no? How can you improve in this area?
2. Why are we able to love more when we embrace the boundaries of others?

 

God bless,
GE

[hmbld]

42 minutes ago, GoldenEagle said:

We cannot change anybody else, but we can allow God to change us.

Just saying thanks G.E.  Great thread, I had a misunderstanding of the boundaries book, and in reading this thread I am reconsidering it.  I appreciate the interesting work your doing here.  

[kwikphilly]

Quote

What does Jesus teach us in Matthew 7:3-5 and then in Matthew 7:12 (and KJV version here)? Could you paraphrase Matthew 7:12 to in reference to setting boundaries and respecting other’s boundaries?

 

To whom do you need to, in the spirit of Jesus, grant the freedom to be himself or herself and be different from you? (2 Corinthians 3:17 and KJV version here)

 

If we wish our boundaries to be respected we must respect those of others.

 

1. In what ways do you respect others’ right to say no? In what ways do you condemn their right to say no? How can you improve in this area?
2. Why are we able to love more when we embrace the boundaries of others?                                  Golden Eagle

Okay,I'm ready to give it a go!!!!Getting my glasses & got my Trusty Bible!!!

Yes,Treat others as you would want to be treated,with respect & without judgement.......we,as Believers live by Gods Word & His Ways & especially considering the unbeliever or even the new believer we must first live by our own(Gods) standards & within those boundaries before we can expect anyone else to do as we do.....we must respect them in that they do not yet know what we know.......or are we only taking about ALL Believers?

The veil is the passage from the Law to Grace,we have the liberty to come before the Throne of Grace....just as we have been afforded that "liberty" I think we can extend open arms to all so they may come to us as Representatives of Christ,& through us to taste the Love,Acceptance & Forgiveness that we have in Jesus    "Who?" you ask.......everyone who comes knocking

No is no.....people have told me they do NOT want to hear about the Gospel,Jesus.....no is no,then I simply sh ow them by how i live,treat them & WAIT until they say'Okay,I'll listen"    It is probably easier to 'love more" by embracing others boundaries because by doing so we are accepted more readily,I don't find that I could love then any more or any less because it is Christ in me that has all that LOVE ,which is unconditional & surpasses all boundaries

                                                                                                                                           With love-in Christ,Kwik

 

[GoldenEagle]

On ‎9‎/‎20‎/‎2016 at 4:55 PM, hmbld said:

Just saying thanks G.E.  Great thread, I had a misunderstanding of the boundaries book, and in reading this thread I am reconsidering it.  I appreciate the interesting work your doing here.  

Glad to help Hmbld!   The point is for us all to dig into the Bible and learn with each other.

How has this thread helped you reconsider boundaries (the book or the concept)?

God bless,

GE

[GoldenEagle]

6 hours ago, kwikphilly said:

Okay,I'm ready to give it a go!!!!Getting my glasses & got my Trusty Bible!!!

Yes,Treat others as you would want to be treated,with respect & without judgement.......we,as Believers live by Gods Word & His Ways & especially considering the unbeliever or even the new believer we must first live by our own(Gods) standards & within those boundaries before we can expect anyone else to do as we do.....we must respect them in that they do not yet know what we know.......or are we only taking about ALL Believers?

The veil is the passage from the Law to Grace,we have the liberty to come before the Throne of Grace....just as we have been afforded that "liberty" I think we can extend open arms to all so they may come to us as Representatives of Christ,& through us to taste the Love,Acceptance & Forgiveness that we have in Jesus    "Who?" you ask.......everyone who comes knocking

No is no.....people have told me they do NOT want to hear about the Gospel,Jesus.....no is no,then I simply sh ow them by how i live,treat them & WAIT until they say'Okay,I'll listen"    It is probably easier to 'love more" by embracing others boundaries because by doing so we are accepted more readily,I don't find that I could love then any more or any less because it is Christ in me that has all that LOVE ,which is unconditional & surpasses all boundaries

                                                                                                                                           With love-in Christ,Kwik

 

I agree we need to look to ourselves instead of others. The hypocrisy of trying to help others when we have issues of our own stands out to me in Matthew 7:3-5.

I also find it interesting that Jesus says in Matthew 7:12 that all the Law and the Prophets can be summed up in doing for others what we would ah

“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."

I like how you said we extend love, acceptance, & forgiveness to: Who? Everyone who comes knocking.

I agree some people don't want to hear about Jesus. I've found people are a lot more receptive to hear about my faith when I share my experiences. Also, asking them questions help too. More importantly getting to know them leads to more deep discussions. Jesus said in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20) to make disciples of the nations... Not superficial converts. Sometimes I think we forget that.

Through Jesus we see in 2 Corinthians 3:12-18 we can come boldly into God's presence as His adopted children. It's like God removes the veil of darkness and doubt from our eyes when we believe in Him. The Holy Spirit is transforming us and molding us to be more like Jesus. That is such a beautiful  promise to me.

You said, Christ's love is unconditional and surpasses all boundaries. I love that!  

God bless,

GE

[GoldenEagle]

On ‎9‎/‎20‎/‎2016 at 4:43 PM, GoldenEagle said:

Here's what I gleaned from the next law... Tagging some of the folks that have participated in this thread. @kwikphilly, @Openly Curious, @Butero, @hmbld, @Yowm, @Ezra, @Dok, @FresnoJoe, @other one, @natasha, @RobertS, @shiloh357, @Davida, @brakelite, @missmuffet, @Out of the Shadows, @*Deidre*, @Marilyn C, @RustyAngeL, @Flsnookman,

Law #4 The Law of Respect: We need to learn to hear other people’s no.

 

If we love and respect people who tell us ‘no’, they will love and respect our ‘no’. This might even be called the law of respecting other people's boundaries.

 

When we think about setting boundaries and trying to live by them, we fear that others will not respect them. We focus on others and lose clarity about ourselves. When we judge others’ boundaries, ours will fall under the same judgment. If we condemn others’ boundaries, we can expect them to condemn ours.

 

What does Jesus teach us in Matthew 7:3-5 and then in Matthew 7:12 (and KJV version here)? Could you paraphrase Matthew 7:12 to in reference to setting boundaries and respecting other’s boundaries?

 

To whom do you need to, in the spirit of Jesus, grant the freedom to be himself or herself and be different from you? (2 Corinthians 3:17 and KJV version here)

 

If we wish our boundaries to be respected we must respect those of others.

1. In what ways do you respect others’ right to say no? In what ways do you condemn their right to say no? How can you improve in this area?
2. Why are we able to love more when we embrace the boundaries of others?

Re: #1 I think we need to respect others right to say no. I struggle with that because I want to help people. Sometimes I feel if I just say something I'll help them see God's love or grace. But the Holy Spirit is the only one who can change a heart or mind. I need to work more on letting go.

Re: #2 I think by embracing the boundaries of others we can learn to love people better. For example, my wife receives love by words of encouragement and quality time hanging out together. My son loves spending time together hanging out too. My daughter loves it when I listen to her and hugs. Understanding how people receive love helps us understand how to respect them better.

God bless,
GE