They rejected the Lord’s laws and the agreement he had made with their ancestors. And they refused to listen to his warnings.

They worshiped useless idols and became useless themselves. They did what the nations around them did, which the Lord had warned them not to do.

 2 Kings 17:15 (NCV)

We have all driven down the freeway and suddenly felt and heard the uncomfortable vibration from the rumble strip on the edge of our lane. These strips are there for our protection. When we get distracted, they remind us that we are about to veer off the road. They give us a chance to correct, to move the tires back to the center of our lane before we lose control. It is believed that those rumble strips reduce the number of cars accidentally running off the road by as much as 50%. 

God’s Word perfectly maps out for us the path of faith and leads us to the righteousness He desires. It is also filled with plenty of spiritual rumble strips. He gives us boundaries that tell us how to avoid all the distractions that threaten to run us off the road. This world is filled with temptations that lure our minds and our hearts away from Him and pull us in the wrong direction. Our phones, social media, constant advertisements, and even cultural norms lure us into the belief that we need to do, own, or strive for specific things in order to be good enough. But Jesus already declared us far more than enough when we chose to follow Him rather than the temptations of this world that can never satisfy. 

Sometimes following the Lord may seem like He just doesn’t want you to have fun or to be happy. But God doesn’t give you boundaries to keep you from what the world considers “good enough”; He gives you boundaries to protect you from all the wrong things and to save you for what He KNOWS is the absolute BEST thing: Himself. When you remember Jesus in everything you do (Proverbs 3:5), when you keep your heart and your mind away from all the idols this world says you need, He will direct you and keep you from becoming useless like those Israelites. He will keep you safely inside the rumble strip and reduce your chances of veering off in the wrong direction by way more than 50%! Stay in your lane! You are loved! 

You have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.  Romans 8:12