Now the Lord has brought it, and has done just as He said. Because you people have sinned against the Lord, and not obeyed His voice, therefore this thing has come upon you. Jeremiah 40:3
Nearly every action or word has some type of consequence that follows it. Some of those consequences are good, while others are very horrible. Seldom do people really think about the consequence of an action done or not done. All they see is what is in the moment at hand, nothing in the future.
After Israel had been brought into captivity in Babylon, the captain of the guard spoke with Jeremiah. He said that everything that has occurred because the Israelites had sinned against God and not obeyed Him.
Athletes that want to be among the best understand the need to work hard and to push past the pain of working hard. Most people hit the hard parts of being the best and give up. As a result, they are not among the best.
The world likes to enjoy the moment with no thought for the future. Some will drink heavily and ignore the liver problems that may occur or the relationships that will be harmed. Others have sex outside of marriage, not thinking about the consequence of having a child.
In the same manner of thinking, many in the church purposefully continue to sin in some area of their life. They ignore God’s commands to not sin in that way. Sometimes there are immediate consequences to the sin, but at all times there is a future consequence. That future consequence occurs on judgement day when Jesus returns.
Believers are to obey God at all times. This is focused first on what Jesus did for them, dying on the cross and forgiving them. Then also to receive eternal life in the end.
There are probably some things in your life in which you made a bad choice and had to suffer the consequence for that choice. There are also times in which you made the right choice. One choice you should always make is the choice to obey God in every area of your life, regardless of what God asks of you. The choice to disobey God brings about captivity to sin and eventually death. The choice to obey God brings about abundant life in this life and eternal life to come. Which choice will you make?
Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will make the choice to always obey God; that God will reveal the consequences of every choice you have to make; and that you will live the abundant life God has planned for you.
Picture by Bradyn Trollip on Unsplash
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