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Leaving Margin in Your MoralityCreating margin requires a shift in perspective on what we decide is the most valuable thing in our life. Moral margin is putting distance between you and temptation. In Christian youth groups, teens invariably want to know: Where is the line? What is it acceptable to do? They think that if we show them a line, they will know what they can get away with. The illusion is that if they know where the line is, they won’t cross it. As we mature, we realize that there is seldom a clear line; and even if there is, knowing about it wouldn’t stop us from crossing it. Do you think there’s a clear line? In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus equates being angry with murder, equates looking lustfully with adultery. Hmmm. Where’s the line? It may be a lot closer than we think! The apostle Paul talks about the line: Flee from sexual immorality. … he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Paul is reminding Christians that they are in a relationship with God, and when they violate their bodies with sexual immorality, they violate the very God who is within them. Paul takes the argument out of the realm of good vs. bad and brings it into the higher purpose of having morality to follow and preserve our relationship with Christ. There are two common morality motivators: Fear. If you do ________ , you will be punished. These motivators can be effective, but they are not adequate. They draw attention to morality itself, and not the reason for it. It makes performance of the good or bad action the center stage of what you’re trying to do. When this happens in the Church, moral performance becomes the basis for what it means to be a Christian. Then we evaluate each other, and decide who’s in and who’s out, based on performance, instead of whether or not they have a relationship and are on a journey with Jesus Christ. When we make moralistic positions the front door Jesus had dinner with Matthew, a tax collector, and his friends. Matthew & company were so far out of the moral box, it was ridiculous. Yet Jesus didn’t talk to him about his moral standing. He invited Matthew to follow him, to share His life. It seems that Jesus’ strategy was (and is) this: If a person forms a relationship with God, they’ll want to live their life in a way that honors and values that relationship. And while on that path, the Holy Spirit and their conscience will tell them when they are living in a manner that distances them from Him. They will want to change because they will want to please Him, not because they have to follow the rules or pass a test. (The Scripture provides validation as to acceptable and unacceptable living that is pleasing to God.) … God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; It is the connection of the evil within us to the temptation outside of us How can we build margin – a safety zone - in our morality?
All these “margin thoughts” give room to separate ourselves from temptation. Is there a line? Probably. _____ Application Thoughts: Am I treating my relationship with God as the most valuable thing in my life? In what area of my life do I tend to flirt with temptation? How can I create margin there? Do I judge others by their moral performance?
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