Guardrails

This is my second post that has been inspired by Andy Stanley.  I want to keep things fresh in this blog, but I have to say, I could easily use his ideas every week.  He has an amazing ability to simplify complex ideas and then convict me to change my life.  Today, I watched the first lesson from his “Guardrails” series.  Everyone knows what guardrails are.  They keep us from getting hurt really bad, and we hope we never need them.  Andy is encouraging us to set up some guardrails for our lives, and he defines them this way:  “a personal standard of behavior that becomes a matter of conscience”.  In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he talks about living in dangerous times.  Apparently, in the time that he lived, it was just as dangerous, if not more dangerous than the world we live in now.  Paul warned the Ephesians to establish guardrails to keep them out of danger.  Times have changed, but not that much.  You may run into the guardrail and get scratched up a little, but you will be protected from falling off the cliff on the other side.  That is what we are trying to get protected from – a marriage ending affair, a drunk driving accident, financial ruin, failed health, etc.  But we can’t save ourselves after the car is over the edge of the cliff.  It’s too late.  The guardrail that got put up earlier is what is going to save us.  This message is for everyone, but for Believers is sounds like this.  “Face up to what you know in your heart God wants for you and what He wants you to be”.  I know that I have some work to do, and for anyone that wants to build some guardrails with me, I would love to hear from you personally.