Hi how are you all today? I am well and had an amazing holiday last week. I went to a place I only briefly had visited and explored it even further. It was amazing seeing the natural parks, the wild life and the way that people lived. I had a great time. The bonus was that it had warm weather and I have gone back to cold weather. How was your week?
This week I want to really delve into the question of are there consequences? Consequences to what- our actions, thoughts and words. The answer is yes there are. Too often, however, we rely on the following verse from the Bible in relation to our wrong actions, thoughts and words and think that once God forgives us, there are no consequences. But that is wrong thinking. The verse is in 1 John1:8 – 10 and in the Message Bible states:
8 If we claim that we’re free of sin, we’re only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense.
9 On the other hand, if we admit our sins – make a clean breast of them – he won’t let us down; he’ll be true to himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing.
10 If we claim that we’ve never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God – make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God.
In verses 8 and 10, it tells me that everyone sins. Nobody living on the earth in the past, present or future is free from sin, except Jesus. Therefore if sin can’t stand in Gods presence, what are we to do to get right with God.
Verse 9 tells us. We need to admit our sins and God will forgive us and cleanse us from the effects of that sin.
Now that our sin is forgiven, we are free to enter into the presence of God. Wouldn’t we be free to enter in anytime? Yes, the door is always open but shame and guilt from our sin keeps us out. That’s the reason we need to repent of our sin so God can forgive us and cleanse us.
Is that the end? I don’t believe it is in some cases.
For example if I was a bank robber before I became a Christian and then I gave my life to God and repented of my sin, there would still be consequences to my past actions.
The verse that tells me this is found in Galatians 6:7.- 8a. In the Message Bible, it states:
7 Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others – ignoring God! –
8 harvests a crop of weeds.
The start of this verse is so important and is the only place where the reader of the Bible is warned not to be misled. What does misled mean? In the Oxford dictionary, it means to cause someone to have a wrong idea or impression. Just because God is love, God forgives and God is good doesn’t mean that our lives are immune to what this verse states next. It says to not make a fool of God in that what each of us plants or does in thoughts, actions or words is what we will harvest. The clear meaning of this is that there are consequences to our thoughts, deeds and words.
What do those consequences look like:
1. We will get what we say.
2. We will have to humble ourselves and ask others to forgive us.
3. We will need to pay that speeding fine.
4. We must obey the laws of the land unless they are contrary to the Word of God, for example, you can’t own a Bible.
5. We will not have friends if we are unfriendly.
There are many more examples than these depending on the circumstances.
The most important thing to remember is that consequences will come. But God is with us in everything and still loves us immensely. It is us that invokes the consequences.
Consequences can be good too. If we tithe, we will receive a blessing, if we are joyful, joy will follow us, if we obey Gods laws then all will go well for us. We may still have trouble but God will help us overcome it.
This week make sure you repent of your sins but don’t be surprised when consequences come. However have faith that God is with you and will help you through. He never leaves us.
Bless you and keep living the life God intended for you.
Karen
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