Guardrails Please

The Bible has many references to shepherd and sheep.  It was a common thing to see shepherd and sheep just about everywhere you went.  Abraham, Moses, and David were all Shepherds.  Shepherds were the first to arrive in Bethlehem to see the new born king.  But because we don't have this familiarity with sheep and shepherds we can lose what the writers of scripture are trying to teach us.  The Shepherd had 3 distinct roles which Jesus refers to in John 10.  They were to protect, cultivate, and cherish.
Today we begin with protect.  
You might remember the story of David and Goliath when David gave his resume to King Saul that he killed a Lion and a Bear who had tried to attack and kill the sheep he was entrusted to.  David was the only protector the sheep had.  Sheep have no mechanism to defend themselves.  They have no speed, no sharp fang, and no poison.  They have no alternative but to trust their protection to someone else.  That is the Shepherds responsibility.
So in our homes we must protect.  So does that mean we buy weapons and prepare for war?  No we are fighting a different enemy who seeks to steal, kill and destroy.  We protect in different ways.
Protecting your Marriage.
Your marriage needs protecting.  You need to be on your guard.  When marriages are destroyed, families are destroyed and everyone is effected.  You protect by setting up guardrails.  You set these far enough away from danger and sin that if you ever hit one you do very little damage to the marriage and prevent destruction. You need guardrails to govern what you do around people of the opposite sex you are not your spouse.   I encourage you to sit down together and set some boundaries for your protection.  Do NOT think you can do whatever you want without consequences.  If you fail to set guardrails the enemy has a greater chance to destroy your marriage.  You need to do this.
Protecting your Family
Protecting your marriage is protecting your family.  But how are you helping your kids set up boundaries and guardrails.  They want to fit in and be accepted and they will do almost anything to do that.  You have to help them.  They need guidance as they chose friends, begin dating, and decide what the future holds for them.  You can either help them set guardrails are watch them crash and burn somewhere in their life.  Normally we wake up when it is too late and damage has been done.  Don't wait!! talk to your kids and help them establish guardrails.  You'll be glad you did.
Let us not take lightly the protection we are to have in place.  Let's defend what is worth fighting for.