Lent 2019 Day 14 “Consequences”

Consequences and Repercussions

Psalm 61, 62, 68

Jeremiah 2:1-13

Romans 1:16-25

John 4:43-54

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+61%2C+Psalm+62%2C+Psalm+68%2C+Jeremiah+2%3A1-13%2C+Romans+1%3A16-25%2C+John+4%3A43-54&version=NIV

^{Psalm 62:11} One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard: “Power belongs to you, God, ¹² and with you, Lord, is unfailing love”; and, “You reward everyone according to what they have done.”

^{Romans 1:24} Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.²⁵ They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

Consequences and Repercussions

If you lay down with dogs, you wake up with fleas… If you do right right will follow you, if you do wrong, wrong will overtake you…In this house there are rules and regulations, failure to abide by them will lead to consequences and repercussions. Each of these statements give us a perspective of cause and effect. This sense of cause and effect is true for both the natural realm and the spiritual realm. As we live from day to day we observe many instances of this being true.

The Psalmist shares an instance of DIVINE activity in which YHWH reveals all power belongs to the unfailing love of GOD and GOD will reward everyone according to what they have done. This is both encouraging and chilling. On one hand when we realize in all our righteousness we are still like filthy rags, we know the trash heap should be our destiny. We throw out old dusty rags. On the other hand however, because the love of GOD is unfailing we may be granted a second chance to do better. we live in the balance of grace and justice. By not recognizing this we run the risk of the fate mentioned in Romans 1. Because the people chose the created over the CREATOR, they were allowed to face the consequences of their action. If we choose to be reckless we can expect to get in a wreck.

Point to Ponder: In what ways are  you facing the consequences of your decisions? How do you balance between believing and behaving? How will you praise through the pitfalls?