It was a day filled with pomp and circumstance and awards and speeches and people just like me patting their own backs and celebrating the completion of their Bachelor’s degree.
It was Graduation Day!
And then it was over. Much more quickly than it came. And that next day found me working my first full-time job after graduating college.
Bagging groceries.
As you might imagine, that next day was quite the letdown. Nobody at my job knew—or cared—of my accomplishments. They were only concerned about the groceries.
The best part of many jobs is the lunch break. And this was no exception. But this particular market was located just a four-minute drive from the bluffs overlooking the beach at Corona Del Mar. So that’s where I’d spend my lunch hours—eating at one of the park benches the city council had placed there just for me to use!
Today I had lunch there once again. This time with my family. And together we enjoyed the sun and the ocean breeze, the view of Catalina Island, and the beach bunnies.
No, not what you’re thinking. I’m referring to the rabbits that live along the ocean cliffs.
Have you ever considered the ocean, or any large body of water, and wondered why the water stops at the edge?
Of course, we know that’s what God TOLD it to do. But the reason WHY the ocean doesn’t cross God’s boundary lines might be different than what you expect:
“Listen, you foolish and senseless people, with eyes that do not see and ears that do not hear. Have you no respect for me? Why don’t you tremble in my presence? I, the Lord, define the ocean’s sandy shoreline as an everlasting boundary that the waters cannot cross. The waves may toss and roar, but they can never pass the boundaries I set. But my people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned away and abandoned me. They do not say from the heart, ‘Let us live in awe of the Lord our God, for he gives us rain each spring and fall, assuring us of a harvest when the time is right.’”
Jeremiah 5:21-24 NLT
According to scripture, the reason the ocean DOESN’T cross the line? Because it has respect for God. Because it isn’t stubborn and rebellious towards God. Because it chooses to not turn away from God and abandon him.
In short, the ocean minds what God has defined because the ocean loves its Creator.
Do you love your Creator? Jesus says the evidence of that should be pretty clear:
“If you love me, you will obey my commandments.”
John 14:15 GNT
Today, pull yourself out of the “foolish and senseless” category. Open your eyes to see, and your ears to hear. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind—with every fiber of your being.
And live in awe of the God who sets our boundary lines.
That’s worship.
–Pastor Steve.