Lord, keep me on a short leash

Over the last few weeks we have been looking at some of the phrases that you might hear over and over again in the Vineyard movement around the world. ‘Lord, keep me on a short leash’ seems at first glance a strange one – after all we are supposed to be champions of grace and freedom, of finding ways of making faith in Jesus Christ accessible to all without them having to fight a way through the cobwebs and ties of religion and conformity.I love the verse in John 8 v36 …. if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. But what does Jesus set us free for and what does he set us free from?

 

I have just recently bought a dog. As I write he is chewing on a synthetic bone at my feet. He is 18 weeks old, a border collie and frankly a bit of a challenge although he is improving in behaviour by the day and is proving much more of a blessing to me than not. One of the things I have to do is to train him. Slowly he is getting the hang of things. Already he can sit; he comes when I call his name (75% of the time); goes to the loo outside (90% of the time); and walks with me when on the lead. For him to become the dog I want him to be; happy, well behaved and not causing me mountains of embarrassment, I need to keep him on a short leash and train him well. He certainly isn’t being given the run of the place with no restraints; he is not free in that sense.

 

In my relationship with God I know He has my best at heart. He has rescued me, set me free from sin and destructive behaviour and set me free for service, fun, blessing, joy and a satisfying and full friendship with Himself. But in order for that to continue I need to be kept close, not allowed to get away with sinful behaviour that will harm me and cause me grief. So my prayer is for God to keep me on short accounts – on a short leash.

 

Accountability to someone other than yourself is a must if we are going to keep faithful in our relationship with God. I have a friend (I call him my soul friend) and I allow him full access to my life. He can ask all those dreaded awkward questions – but do you know, I actually believe it is paying dividends as together we seek to follow Jesus. The more I live my life in the way that Jesus calls me, the more freedom I seem to find to enjoy this life. I am so glad the He loves us too much to allow us to get away with stuff that ruins us. Dear Lord, keep me close to you, to enjoy your life and freedom. Please keep me on a short leash.