I was once doing some work for someone. They had recently purchased a new house and wanted to replace the boards on the privacy fence in their back yard. I had taken over half of the boards off when the man’s neighbor approached me and asked what I was doing. I told him that I had been hired to replace the boards. He then informed me that this was his fence. I contacted the man that I was working for. The two gentlemen talked and worked out the misunderstanding as the owner of the fence was getting a new fence at no cost.
I’ll follow this with a story that I heard years ago. There was a large crowd of people standing on two sides of a fence. God and the devil showed up on opposite sides and began to gather their group. One man, unsure as to what to do, climbed up on the fence. Soon everyone was gone. Then the devil showed back up looking around as if he had lost something. The man asked him what he was looking for. He replies that he was looking for him. The man says that he didn’t choose either side, but chose to sit on the fence. This is when the devil told him, don’t you know that I own the fence.
You see we are not supposed to live for God on the fence. Hanging out near the fence shows an interest in what is on the other side of the fence. Instead of being interested in the things of this world we should love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world (1 John 2:15-16 KJV) .
My Christian friends, God has been so very good and kind to us. That is the reason why I am asking you very strongly to offer your bodies to him. Bring your bodies to him, as a sacrifice that is still alive. Give yourselves to him completely, so that he may be happy because of you. That is how you can really worship God. Do not let yourselves be like the people who belong to this world. But instead, let God change how you think. Then you will become new people. You will be able to understand what God wants you to do. You will understand what is good. You will understand what makes God happy. And you will understand how to live completely as God wants you to live (Romans 12:1-2 Easy English).
Mark 12:30 NET Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’
1 Thessalonians 5:22 NET Stay away from every form of evil.