document.open(); document.writeln(""); document.writeln("Rules for Freedom
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Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law and"); document.writeln("obey it with all my heart.1

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In the days of"); document.writeln("one-room schoolhouses, Miss Tomlin, the new teacher, thought it a good idea to"); document.writeln("lay some ground rules. She invited the students to give their suggestions."); document.writeln("Together the class came up with 10 rules for their classroom.

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Then Miss Tomlin"); document.writeln("asked, \"Now what do we do if one of those rules is broken?\" After"); document.writeln("much discussion a punishment was decided upon.

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Several months into"); document.writeln("the school year everyone had been following their rules perfectly, until one"); document.writeln("day, a little girl named Mary leaned over to her friend. \"Susan...do you"); document.writeln("have a pencil I can borrow?\" Before she could get a response, Miss Tomlin spoke, \"Mary, I\'€™ll need to see you after school.\"

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As the large school"); document.writeln("bell rang, Miss Tomlin dismissed everyone. \"Mary, could you please come"); document.writeln("here?\" Miss Tomlin said, \"Do you remember the rules we decided upon"); document.writeln("at the beginning of the school year?\" Mary nodded. \"They are posted over"); document.writeln("there.\" Mary said.

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\"Can you read"); document.writeln("rule #4 for me?\" asked Miss Tomlin

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\"If you have"); document.writeln("something to say, raise your hand.\" Mary said.

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\'€œYou broke the"); document.writeln("rule. Do you remember the punishment that was decided upon?\"

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Mary nodded as she"); document.writeln("remembered, \"Three strikes with a ruler to the back of the hand.\"

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Mary held out her"); document.writeln("hand with her eyes closed tightly waiting for the intense pain of the ruler and"); document.writeln("flinched when she felt something touching her hand. But it was not a ruler. She"); document.writeln("opened her eyes and was shocked to see the hand of her older brother Billy covering"); document.writeln("her hand. Billy spoke up, \"Miss Tomlin, it is true that Mary broke one of"); document.writeln("the rules that we as a class set up. And it is also true that there would be a"); document.writeln("punishment for breaking one of those rules. But it does not say who has to"); document.writeln("receive the punishment for breaking one of those rules. So I would like to take the"); document.writeln("punishment for my sister.\"2

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God set rules for us as well... rules on how to live a full and holy"); document.writeln("life. Rules meant not just to be obeyed, but a loving way to live. He gave us"); document.writeln("the freedom to choose our way. When we chose to break His rules and sin"); document.writeln("instead, Jesus put His life above ours and took our punishment.

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Suggested prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for loving me enough to take the"); document.writeln("punishment that I deserve. Fill me with the desire to follow your rules, the"); document.writeln("ones made in love for me. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

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1.   "); document.writeln("Psalm"); document.writeln("119:34 (NIV).

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2.   "); document.writeln("Excerpt"); document.writeln("taken from semoncentral.com

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Today\'€™s Encounter was written by: Veronica B.

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This and other devotionals by Richard (Dick) Innes can be read online.

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ACTS International

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