The Revelation of Jesus with Rick Sterling

Can vs. Should~

There are a variety of expressions that use the word 'Can' in trying to convince people (especially children) to not limit themselves as they stretch their minds and bodies in learning how to accomplish their goals. "You can do anything you put your mind too." "I think I can, I think I can." (The Little Engine That Could). "Do, don't do. No try." (A version used by Yoda in Star Wars). 

We all get trapped in the 'Don'ts', especially as we were growing up, as our parents tried to keep us from hurting ourselves, and this often has lead to limiting success. "Don't do that or you will hurt yourself." "Don't to this or you will embarrass your family." "Don't be rediculous!"

The word 'Can' is a very positive word, but there does need to be some tempering in it's use at the extremes of behavior. There are a lot of things you 'Can' do; the overriding question becomes 'Should you do it'?

Social tempering in the use of Can and Should is express by Rules or Laws that attempt to define the difference between the human capability of doing a behavior and actually choosing to do a behavior that would harm either yourself or others. 

This is the purpose of all Laws, even though sometime those laws go too far.

The Creator God had already set limits of behavior even before He formed Adam and placed him in the Garden. Adam and his wife were fully aware of the that limiting factor, "Do not eat from the Tree in the middle of the Garden, or you will be executed."  They both failed to learn the difference between 'Can' and 'Should', thinking that God didn't care about the difference. They were wrong.

To enter the Kingdom of God, we must know that difference, and do it by learning the Covenant and keeping it. Revelation 12: 17.