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We had a great time during a recent activity with the kids at church—food, fun, and smiling faces permeated the whole place.  As things started to wind down, I noticed one little girl struggling trying to open a little bag containing treats.  After she tried unsuccessfully to get it opened she looked at me and said, “Can you open this for me.”  That was a small and easy to fulfill request, so I gladly started to offer a helping hand.  But after the bag was completely in my hands and I started to tear it open, she made another statement that I was not prepared for:  “Don’t tell my mama.”  So now I have been coaxed into becoming her partner in crime!

As much as that child wanted the crunchy treats inside that bag, she was also aware that she had had more than her mother wanted her to consume in one night.  She knew that her mother cared about what she did and wanted the best for her.

Thankfully neither I nor the little girl got scolded when her mother shortly appeared.  Perhaps I should ask a few questions in the future when I am asked to provide assistance with junk food.  It’s probably too late for that, though, since the kids have already figured out that I am a pushover when it comes to asking for candy, popsicles, chips, and other things that they crave!

Every one of us who had parents that cared about the things we did and kept the leash shorter than we thought it should have been at times ought to be completely grateful for their loving guidance that spared us from drifting into things that we could have spent the rest of our lives paying for.  And we can all be thankful that God cares about how we live far more than anyone else.

The world that we live in has a huge desire for no restrictions to be placed on one’s choices in life.  And respect for authority seems to be quickly eroding into a thing of the past.  But God loves us enough to call us to live by His authority and His guidance for our lives.  We are told in Ephesians 5:15-16 to “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil” (New International Version).  If Paul, the writer of the Book of Ephesians, could state that the days were evil more than two thousand years ago, it is certainly true of our day.  We should, therefore, be all the more vigilant in how we live, for temptations are widespread and righteous living is becoming increasingly unpopular.

Being careful how we live does not mean that we should be under a list of written rules that we try to keep so that we can say that we have done our duty, but it is a matter of the heart—a desire above all else to please God.  The Christians at Ephesus that received the Book of Ephesians were probably striving to please God and live by the instructions that they received regarding Godly living.  But as time went on they slipped away from their closeness with Him and were strongly rebuked by Christ:  “Yet I hold this against you:  You have forsaken your first love” (Revelation 2:4).  They were still doing a lot of good things, but their heart for God was not what it once was.  Quite a warning for us today!

Does God care how you live?  You better believe it!  And His greatest desire is that you keep Him first in your life.  It certainly matters to God what you do and don’t do, but when He is your first love, doing the right things and avoiding the bad comes a lot more naturally.