Bad Luck Or Holy Scolding?

The Holy One calls to me this morning.  Certain hard things we face are due to persecution and are part of our life as a follower of Jesus.  Matt 10:22, “And you will be hated by all for my Name’s sake.  But He who endures to the end will be saved”.

 

But there are other hard things; things that are consequences for poor decisions and “bad form” that are in place to get us to course “correct” when we leave the highway of Holiness.

 

The Holy Spirit speaks an important truth for me today, “The consequences for rebellion of My commands were set when the commands were given.  There is a difference between My forgiveness of the sin and abatement of consequences”.

 

That is a very important key in the understanding of the truth: sin bears a consequence in our temporal lives even after salvation.  For the believer in Jesus, ultimate forgiveness is not at issue, but the consequences for bad actions and disobedience of the Lord’s commands will come to bear. 

 

The Word of God is a living entity, meaning it speaks to us as a current source of wisdom every bit as it did to the ancients in their day and time in history.  The issue of obedience to the Lord is as old as time itself.

 

In the beginning one rule was in place to test the will and obedience of the original pair; Adam and his wife Eve. The violation and consequence of their rebellion has impacted humanity ever since but was merely symbolic of what all of us do with our free will.  

 

After the one rule was violated, then came the Ten Commandments and then the myriad of Levitical Laws which only underscored the fact that human nature is rebellious and not capable of perfect obedience to Holiness.

 

Then came Jesus the Savior who fulfilled the Law and re-established the purpose and simplicity of the original one rule:  To love the Lord God with all our hearts, with all our souls and with all our strength. (Deut. 6:5).  Love for the rule Giver is the motivation for obedience to any rule established by any beloved in our lives:  To love is to obey the desire, if not the “rule” of the beloved.

 

When asked a question by a “lawyer” of His day, Jesus gave the Pharisees (and us) the great commandment of the “Law”.  Matt. 10:27, “Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind; this is the first and greatest commandment”.

 

As a believer in Christ and one who has inherited His eternal legacy, I am expected to operate under a different law called the “law of love”.  The Holy Spirit who dwells within me sets the commands that I am to follow on a day-to-day, sometimes minute-to-minute basis.  If I love Him, I will follow and  obey His commands.  “Go here” and “avoid there”.  “Do this” or “let go of that”, all make for lessons in holiness that require loving obedience and show the world my love for my Lord.

 

Compromise interrupts obedience and for that, there is this thing called “consequences”.  Consequences will follow the breaking of God’s laws or disregarding the commands that were set up to keep us in peace and alignment with His love and will.

 

The world is spiraling out of control and unfortunately our love, our faith and our obedience to the Lord is being tested for compromise. 

 

True confession that in my own life and during times of personal rebellion, I can say that the consequences for my dis-obedience have been progressive.  No big hammer falls out of the sky to knock sense into my head or heart but slowly the heat (consequences) of the sin makes denial and justification impossible.

 

I was raised in legalism and thought that the moment I did something unacceptable to God I would grow a green wart on the end of my nose for all to see and I would be ashamed.  At my first real biff (in my own opinion) the green wart did not appear so I assumed that my violation was not that big of a deal.

 

However, to the contrary of that assumption, I was just being given all the rope I need to hang my rebellious self and the noose kept getting tighter and tighter until I was so choked up by my suffocating sin that I could barely function.

 

God’s mercy in the consequences is not that I can skate past them but rather that once I get convicted and repent the Lord walks with me through them. Sanctification is a process that exposes the sin but doesn’t permit us to remain in it. 

 

It seems that in the major issues of my life, rebellion has finally and mostly been over ruled, but the opportunity to compromise Holiness can come in the small seemingly non-earthshaking choices I make every day that violate the law of love:

 

Judgments beyond my “Pay grade” as to another person’s heart or salvation status.

 

Unforgiveness that hardens my heart unless the other guy asks for it.

 

Limited grace in a long trial that fosters anger.

 

Deep fears that over-rule the promises I have been given by the Sovereign Promise Maker and Keeper.

 

The list goes on but the point of the Holy One today is well taken: Consequences for rebellion and disrespectful disobedience to the Holy mandates of my Lord were set when the commandments and the laws were given. 

 

Personally and as the corporate Body of Christ, God does not and will not “wink” at rebellion.  Consequences will come and not be abated.  Repentance provides that our relationship with Holiness is restored and the Lord will walk with us through to the end of what our rebellion began.

 

In God’s economy and Divine order there is no such thing as bad luck.  But if we, as His people are walking in rebellion, there is sure to come a Holy scolding.

 

The Holy Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?