It is
an interesting sight to watch little children playing games together. We can
see they have a leader who decides which game the group should play. He spells
out the rules about what they are allowed to do and what they should not do. The
leader has the power to throw out players who don’t follow his rules!
Pretty
simple isn’t it? The leader chooses the game and sets the rules and others just
simply have to obey those rules. Breaking those rules mean forfeiting the prize
or getting thrown out of the game. Both of these eventualities are decided by
the leader.
Well
it may be very simple to understand in terms of children’s play but when we
have to accept the same scenario in real life, it doesn’t really go well with
most of us. We are a generation that likes to live ‘my way!’ and smirk at the
rules altogether. ‘Rules are meant for breaking’ is a common statement we hear
almost everywhere. For the current ‘generation ME’ or ‘generation next’ living
the ‘right way’ is ‘unfashionable’ and ‘boring’. Is it any surprise that we
have increasing instances of accidents, disease, death or destruction because
people don’t follow any rules related to traffic, health, prevention of
addiction or the way to keep peace?
The
question is how do we look at rules? Do we look at them as some mean person’s
scheme to make our lives more difficult and miserable? Or do we look at them as
instructions meant to make our life smoother, easier and safer for everyone
concerned? Our outlook towards them decides whether we obey or disobey them.
With
rules there are consequences for not following them. Just as the leader in the
children’s game decides that someone should be removed from the game because
they broke the rules, in real life too, breaking rules have consequences…
sometimes very severe. For example, those who use the road as a racetrack may
ultimately meet with a grave accident due to their no-respect-for-rules
attitude and if they die it means that there is no return to the game of ‘life’.
At other times, there is a warning, a fine, an imprisonment or your license could
be confiscated.
We
may not like the idea of rules, but the fact is that these rules govern every
area of our lives right from the spiritual, physical, social, financial and all
aspects of life. The universe we live in has its own laws. We are all familiar
with the laws of gravity thus we know that if we throw something up it would
certainly come down. This law of gravity
is a reality, one that we live with. It is the same with other universal laws
such as the law of cause and effect, the law of compensation, etc.
Who
made the universal laws that govern our existence? Did they just come to being?
Absolutely not! There is Someone who made the universe and brought everything
into existence by His power. He made the earth, the sun, the moon, the planets
and all the creatures on earth. He also ordained the times and seasons for
everything and we are able to plan things throughout the year simply because
the cycles He planned at the beginning of time have been going on continuously
since the time He made them. We know Him as God.
Everything
in the universe moves according to how God ordained. Considering we have to
acknowledge that the rules He made concerning how a man should live, where he
would go after death and the result of doing evil will also have effect. It is a
fact that every living creature has to die and each of them is governed by the
rules made by God. Whether we accept His existence or not is of no consequence
to Him. He ‘is’ and therefore what He ordained stands and no one can fight Him
and have their way. Just like the leader in a children’s game, He has His way.
His rules apply and are carried out by all elements in the universe – living or
non living. Those who go against His ordained rules face getting thrown out of
the game, which in this case would mean ‘death’ and what happens after death.
We
know that there are consequences to every addiction. Alcohol, drugs, sex, food,
gambling, or anything a person may be addicted to in the end tends to swallow
that person’s life and leave him shallow, lifeless or even dead. Too much of
anything is bad, too much of salt is bad for your BP, too much of sugar has
severe consequences too. Most diseases we have are a result of too much! ‘Too
much’ love for anything tends to become a bondage, a prison which is difficult
to get out of. God has given warnings to us so we can avoid getting into such
predicaments. We are also warned about an excessive love for power, money or
anything that is worldly. We are warned that those who live by the sword, die
by the sword and that love for money is the root of all evil.
Why
did God make all these rules? Why does God tell us such things? The answer is
because He cares for us. He wants us to treasure ourselves and value our lives.
Just as when a mother tells her child to keep away from the fire so that her
child won’t get burnt, in His love God sets boundaries for us so that we too can
be safe.
Rules
and laws protect us and our rights. Imagine if you made a deal with someone and
paid them all the money but they failed to keep their part and didn’t deliver
the goods. If there were no laws you would not be able to do anything about it
but since there are laws you have a way of dealing with the problem and getting
your money back. Without rules society would become a lawless jungle where
anyone can behave anyhow, do anything that harms others and no one would stop
him. Rules and laws are God’s way to ensure there is order in everything. When
rules are broken they help us know that there is a problem that needs to be
solved.
Obeying
or disobeying the rules God made not only affects our present and future life
on earth but also our eternal destiny. We know everyone of us will die someday.
What happens after we die? Well, God has also made a place called ‘Hell’ that
is also known as Sheol and Hades, a temporary place where souls go
after death. The Bible also tells us about a place called ‘Gehenna’ or ‘the Lake of fire’ – the second death, a permanent place of torment of the souls of
the wicked.
Jesus
illustrated this in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. Both of them died.
“And in Hades (the realm of the dead), being in torment, the rich man lifted up
his eyes and saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out
and said, “Father Abraham, have pity and mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip
the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this
flame. But Abraham said, “Between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in
order that those who want to pass from this [place] to you may not be able, and
no one may pass from there to us.” Luke 16:22-24,26
‘Why
should we care about Heaven and Hell?’ you may ask. I understand that you may
choose to disagree with it… However, there is one thing you must consider, what
if you are wrong? Would you personally choose to spend eternity in the Lake of
fire? We are not talking about one year, ten years or fifty years… we are
talking about forever! Obey the rules or commandments of God and enjoy eternity
in heaven where there is joy of every kind OR disobey them and spend eternity
like the rich man in the parable – in Hell, the lake of fire, the place of
eternal torment.
Personally
speaking… I prefer obeying and going to heaven even if I have to suffer on
account of it in earth… After all, permanent is more important than temporary, isn’t
it?
If I
cannot bear to let my little finger burn for even a few seconds how then can I imagine
my whole body burning for ages?
