Lessons from a Shed - 7

Lesson 7 - Check the Bylaws

This lesson should have been number one or at least number two. When I began planning my shed I phoned the city hall to find out what the local bylaws were relating to building a shed in my backyard. Did I need a permit? What restrictions were in effect? What were the regulations I had to follow? I was told that if my shed was less than eleven feet high I did not need a permit. The one restriction was that the shed had to be at least two feet from my fence. Within those guidelines, I was free to build to my hearts desire.

There are guidelines also within which we must build our lives. We all recognize the laws of nature and accept the fact that we must live within them. The law of gravity, for example, will not permit us to build a shed in thin air. God has also created moral and spiritual laws. We must recognize these and build our lives within them. There are general moral and spiritual laws like those contained in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount. And there are specific guidlines that apply to each of us individually. As you build your life, contact the Divine Lawgiver and ask Him what the guidelines are for your life.

Psalm 119:1(NRSV)
Happy are those...who walk in the law of the Lord.