Beyond The Green Line

In a city where danger lurks on every street and around every corner, the Green Line represents the best possible protection and security. It is the border surrounding what is assumed to be the “safest’ area in the Iraqi city of Baghdad. As the reporters, officials and key leaders are inside the Green Zone, they feel reasonably safe — if that us possible in Baghdad. But, if one dares to advance beyond the green line, he instantly loses any security that he once possessed.

Life itself is like that. Normal life for each of us is filled with temptations that threaten to kill our spiritual vitality and lure us away from God. In ancient Egypt, a “…very handsome and well-built young man” named Joseph was threatened with a temptation (Genesis 39:6-7). It was a temptation as dangerous as an insurgent’s bomb. Joseph was a Hebrew young man in a foreign culture — a rising young leader blessed and empowered by God. He wisely lived inside the Green line — that is, trusting and fearing God, allowing the Lord to both empower him and keep him in a world of distractions and superficial attractions. To live as Joseph did is to put your faith in Jesus, the Son of God. The Green Zone for you would mean that “…your real life is hidden with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:3 NLT)

When urged by the wife of the Egyptian Potiphar to commit adultery, Joseph proved that he stayed inside the protection of God’s Green Line by saying to her: “How could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9b NIV). That is the secret to avoiding defeat in your daily life — stay inside God’s protection for you. Those who experience joy and also victory over temptations of all kinds are those who “fear the Lord” and who “...delight in doing what He commands” (Psalm 112:1, NLT). Joseph feared God much more than he feared other people. Therefore he was most concerned about pleasing God above all. Is this your priority?

If so, living beyond the green line will be fruitful and not frustrating for you!