Somehow, “You may not” has become God’s most famous misquote. Since the Garden of Eden when, “You may eat of every tree…” got twisted, God has far too often been thought of as a stingy, joyless authoritarian Who doesn’t want us to have any fun. Nothing is further from the truth. All of creation is His gift to us, made for our pleasure and enjoyment. He wants to withhold nothing from us save that which is harmful or that we are not ready for. True joy can only be found in Him and He has graciously offered to share His authority with us. First by giving us choice and second by allowing us to live in His presence, being guided and instructed by Him moment by moment. What He wants for us far exceeds what we want for ourselves.
You may not
Posted: June 15, 2012 in UncategorizedTags: authoritarian, generous, Gift, God, God's voice, harmful, hearing from God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, joy, joyful, joyless, lies, may not, misquote, patient, stingy, truth, withhold, you may not
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The Better Thing 
I love that line…..”share His authority with us.” That is so powerful…..A God that shares is so unlike anything that this world offers us. This world offers things that take from us. But God, He not only gives……but He shares what is rightfully His! Thanks Jim! I’ll be chewing on this all day!
Thank you Chad.
We have heard these words all of our lives. As a child how many times have we heard don’t do that, don’t touch that, don’t say that, etc. This explains why it is so hard for us to grasp the concept of grace, that God does not bless us based on our performance. But how sweet it is when we first hear the words that God has commanded a blessing on us separate from our achievements or our failures. It is good to see someone has tapped into the well that never runs dry. Blessings to you and your family.
Thank you Chris & Jodie. Blessings to your wonderful family as well.