Strings Attached

Blog – “Strings Attached” (April 27, 2011)

“The love of Christ constrains us.” (II Corinthians 5:14)

I read “Pinocchio”to my children when they were little. It is a story of an old man who wanted a little boy so he carved out a wooden puppet to be his little boy and named him Pinocchio. As fairytales go, the wooden puppet was able to talk and run without strings. As the story read, Pinocchio got into much trouble on his own without any strings attached with which his father could control him. In the end he found being “brave, honest and generous” was what turned him into a real boy.

As I studied the above scripture I found the word, “constrain,” in the Greek means: “to hold, press, compel.” Strings to a puppet is like the Christian filled and under the control of the Holy Spirit. We choose to be filled with the Holy Spirit and when we are filled, God’s love holds us, like a parent “holds” a small child. I have seen some parents that have their child on a leash. My first reaction has always been disdain, as if they had a dog on a leash. But after considering the alternative, I have a different perspective. The leash is to keep the child close and under control and away from dangers or even becoming lost. From that perspective, the leash is a very loving tool. God’s love for us “constrains” us “holds” us close so as we make our decisions and choices they are always within the boundaries of His love.

Without living within the boundaries of God’s love we become like Pinocchio without any strings – doing our own thing, making bad choices and ending up in a lot of trouble. The freedom of ‘no strings’ turns into a prison of our own making because we do not know the way to take so we fall into pitfalls Satan has prepared for us. There is so much security and freedom walking in God’s love. When we choose to stay on His “leash” of love, we can be assured we are being “held” by His love to make the right decisions and choices. When the enemy attacks us in any way, the love Christ “presses” us close to Him. When we are tempted to become wayward He puts a “constraint” on us because His love wants to spare us from the consequences of sin – broken heart or sometimes ruined life.

We can praise God our Father for His love that constrains us! That “constraint” can be in the form of circumstances that arise in our lives. It may be in ‘shut doors’, or ‘open doors;’ in lost relationships or in disappointments, but we will find if we will walk in the boundary of His love there is freedom, peace, joy and all we really want to be fulfilled in life. “In His presence is fullness of joy!” (Ps.16:11)

Our grandson, Daniel, who was an Infantryman, a Ranger and has been in a lot of the middle-east countries. He is presently a Green Beret in Afghanistan so you know how over these years we have been praying God’s promises for him. When he was with the Rangers (we didn’t know where) I personalized Psalm 91 and sent it to him at his APO address. Below is that personalized Psalm but anyone can put their name in and our Father will hear our prayer asking for His “constraining” power of His love to be effective in our lives.

PSALM 91 FOR DANIEL MEDHI JONES

DANIEL WHO DWELLS IN THE SHELTER OF THE MOST HIGH WILL REST IN

THE SHADOW OF THE ALMIGHTY, WHOSE POWER NO FOE CAN WITHSTAND.

DANIEL WILL SAY OF THE LORD, “HE IS MY REFUGE AND MY FORTRESS, MY

GOD, IN WHOM I WILL TRUST.” SURELY HE WILL SAVE DANIEL FROM THE SNARE

OF THE TRAPPER AND FROM THE DEADLY PLAGUE. HE WILL COVER DANIEL

WITH HIS FEATHERS, AND UNDER HIS WINGS DANIEL WILL FIND REFUGE. HIS

FAITHFULNESS WILL BE DANIEL’S SHIELD AND SURROUNDING PROTECTION.

HE WILL NOT FEAR THE TERROR OF NIGHT NOR THE EVIL PLOTS AND SLANDERS

OF THE WICKED THAT FLY BY DAY, NOR THE PLAGUE THAT STALKS IN THE

DARKNESS, NOR THE DESTRUCTION OF SUDDEN DEATH THAT SURPRISE AND

LAY WASTE IN THE MIDDAY. A THOUSAND MAY FALL AT DANIEL’S SIDE, TEN

THOUSAND AT HIS RIGHT HAND BUT IT WILL NOT COME NEAR HIM. DANIEL

WILL ON OBSERVE WITH HIS EYES AND SEE THE PUNISHMENT OF THE WICKED.

IF HE MAKES THE MOST HIGH HIS DWELLING, EVEN THE LORD, WHO IS HIS

REFUGE, THEN NO HARM WILL BEFALL HIM, NO DISASTER WILL COME NEAR HIS

TENT, FOR GOD WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING DANIEL, TO GUARD

HIM IN ALL HIS WAYS, THEY WILL LIFT HIM UP IN THEIR HANDS, SO THAT

DANIEL WILL NOT STRIKE HIS FOOT AGAINST A STONE. DANIEL WILL TRAMPLE

THE GREAT LION AND THE SERPENT, “BECAUSE DANIEL LOVES ME,” SAYS THE

LORD, “I WILL RESCUE HIM, I WILL PROTECT HIM, FOR HE ACKNOWLEDGES MY

NAME. DANIEL WILL CALL UPON ME, AND I WILL ANSWER HIM; I WILL BE WITH

HIM IN TROUBLE, I WILL DELIVER HIM AND HONOR HIM, WITH LONG LIFE WILL I

SATISFY HIM AND SHOW HIM MY SALVATION.”