Friday, August 12, 2011

We pay a price for sin!

I know we live in an age of grace and love. I am very much aware of that and as many of you who read my blog on a regular basis know I am a very big proponent of grace and love however if we do not understand that regardless of God’s great love for us there are ramifications to sin. These are not necessarily things that the love does as much as he lifts his blessing from us and we get a taste of what it would be like to live life on our own.

The book of Zachariah has an interesting commentary about the result of sin. Zachariah was written to the first group of Jews to return to Jerusalem from captivity in Babylon. Jeremiah had prophesied because of their sin, that the Jews would spend 70 years in captivity. Zachariah further explains.

Zachariah 7:8 – 13

Then this message came to Zechariah from the LORD: 9“This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: Judge fairly, and show mercy and kindness to one another. 10Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. And do not scheme against each other.
11“Your ancestors refused to listen to this message. They stubbornly turned away and put their fingers in their ears to keep from hearing. 12They made their hearts as hard as stone, so they could not hear the instructions or the messages that the LORD of Heaven’s Armies had sent them by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. That is why the LORD of Heaven’s Armies was so angry with them.
13“Since they refused to listen when I called to them, I would not listen when they called to me, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.


It cost Israel to continually ignore God. They had years of the Lord calling them to repentance but they chose to do things their own way. God may pulls his hand from us but never his presence. He was with them in their captivity. Israel had to learn humility.

There are always consequences to our sins. God is with us even in the consequences of sin. We may pay a high price like Israel for our refusal to follow the Lord but even while paying that price God is always with us, drawing us back to Himself.

God’s character never changes. He may be forced, by our sin to allow us to go through some unpleasant things but He will be with us. He will protect us and cause the circumstances to be the best to draw us back to Himself and His great love and grace. He is not a heavenly ogre waiting to punish us but a loving Father who disciplines those whom he loves.

God’s grace is sufficient for us. He continually guides, speaks truth, and corrects us. As we heed His discipline and correction we live a life of freedom and wonderful relationship with Him. If we do not then He pulls back His hand not for punishment, but to discipline us and draw us back to Himself. He loves us! He always will! Believe it! When we find ourselves being disciplined quickly repent, turn back to the Lord, ask for forgiveness and He will forgive us and remember our sins no more. You are His child; He believes in you and loves you!

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