Anything goes?

I love Your law (Psalm 119:97).

Anything Goes. This song by Cole Porter laments how people keep pushing the envelope for the sake of indulging their desires.

We constantly push for more freedom. Most teenagers fight with their parents over limits on behavior. Artists, musicians, actors and celebrities use their popularity to agitate for greater freedoms. When laws are proposed to tighten regulatory standards, there is always opposition from those who fear the loss of freedom.

Why do rules exist? Rules are designed to help us live together harmoniously. Without rules, you can’t determine who won the game. Rules stop us from abusing and misusing each other. Rules are intended to preserve order so that everyone can focus on achieving their goals.

Of course, rules can be imposed for selfish reasons, or twisted to serve some at the expense of others. This is why we have judges and lawyers. Nothing designed by man is perfect; the rules we live by are in constant need of adjustment.

But trying to get rid of rules is not wise. Left to our own devices, it is human nature to seize every advantage to put yourself on top. Without rules, the strong dominate the weak; without rules, the clever liar has advantage over the simple, honest man. Without rules, chaos would run unchecked and prevent all but the toughest from accomplishing anything beyond simple survival.

This is why God gave us rules. The LORD loves us, and He knows that we need rules in order to have the best lives possible. God’s commandments are all based on love—if you love others as you love yourself, you won’t be jealous of their success, you won’t gossip about them, you won’t cheat them, betray them, fight with them, or treat them with disrespect. God’s laws are laws of love.

People argue that to be happy we must be free of restrictions on our behavior. I disagree. Unrestricted behavior leads to chaos, injury, and unhappiness. Submit to God’s Law and find blessings instead.