Why are Rule Breakers Like Steve Jobs Successful?
CONVERSATIONS:
Rules are intended to keep things in check and foster order in society. Most rules are good, and many, if not most, are not meant to be broken. But is it ever time to rethink the rules?
This is what sets apart the successful "rule breakers" from the rest: they know which ones to dispense of and which ones to keep. As Jesus said in the Book of Matthew, He did not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets, but to fulfil them (Mt. 5:17-19). In no uncertain terms, Jesus honored God's eternal commands.
There were man-made rules that Jesus acknowledged. But He knew there things that took precedence in what was important in life. When questioned about paying taxes (Lk. 20:26), Jesus said, "Give back to Caesar what is Caesar's" ... But that was not the end and culmination of His statement. When He said, "Give...to God what is God's", He meant that, more importantly, we need to give God His due, and that is beyond the temporal. It is the bigger, more important, eternal matter of our hearts.
But there were man-made rules that Jesus set aside and disregarded to give way to God's commands. Jesus caught the ire of the Pharisees because He was healing a disabled woman on a Sabbath (Lk. 13:10-17). But He was acting on what was important to the heart of God. "And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond in the Sabbath day?" (v. 16)
"Rule breakers" succeed when they know more than just to propagate how things have always been done and how we have always thought. They are able to see the bigger and better picture, and are able to consider the temporal in light of eternal truth, and in light of the heart of God.
Why is it important to think about the rules we live by, both those that we do so consciously and those that we do so unconsciously?
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Have you ever experienced a time when you felt that you gave in to a man-made rule (yours or others) to the detriment of God's love and purposes?
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What are some rules you live by that you feel you should set aside in order to?honour?God's love and purposes?
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How can you be a godly rule breaker today?
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Let's pray:
Heavenly Father, give us the heart of Jesus, so that we would prioritize Your heart and Your purposes in this world ? even outside societys or our self-imposed rules. Give us the discernment to know what rules to live by and which ones to set aside in favour of Your eternal commands. May the way we live our lives in this world bring glory and honor to You as we seek to live out and declare Your love for people. In Jesus' name. Amen.
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