Consequences part 1
Here's a simple fact of life: Actions have consequences. But that doesn't necessarily mean something bad or negative. According to dictionary.com "Consequence" is "the effect, result, or outcome of something occuring earlier." Natural consequence. Natural reaction. It has nothing--necessarily--with the negative connotation we sometimes give it. And it CERTAINLY has nothing to do with God punishing us. Because... let me say this as clearly and strongly as I can: God does not punish His children. He chasens and corrects them. Of course. What good parent doesn't? Its a parent's job to train up their children in the way they should go. But, like, the way they SHOULD go. Teach them to do the right thing instead of getting to the point where you have to always stop them from doing the wrong thing. But--and this Rant series comes from this quote, really--I once heard a preacher say, "If you cheat on your wife, God won't be mad at you. But SHE will." Because punishment isn't what we should be concerned with. The consequences of our actions should be. Putting a little forethought into what we're doing is, well, smart. Let me quote my memory verse before I get too far into this. "Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same" (Job 4:8). Reaping and sowing. And, listen, I know Jesus spoke about birds not sowing or reaping but being taken care of. I get that. I'm all about NOT trying to earn something from our heavenly Father. Because what He has for us is a gift that He has already given us. But, in our lives, in connection with each other, everything we do has a consequence. There is an effect, a result, an outcome from everything we do. If you lie to someone, the consequence is that they might not believe you anymore. Trust broken. And that's not punishment. That's just taking things as they come. But we can dictate--to a degree--what happens. Sowing and reaping are farming terms, right? Psalm 126:5 says, "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy." If you plant the right seed you'll get the right crop. If you're honest with people--to continue my thought--your word will mean something. A natural consequence of honesty is people believing you. See what I'm trying to say? Consequences aren't inherently good or bad. They simply follow from the actions we choose. If you sow wickedness, you reap the same. And my favorite one, "For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind..." (Hosea 8:7). Like my grandpa always says, "You can do anything you want... as long as you're willing to pay the consequences for it." Unfortunately, people don't always think about the consequences. They don't always count the cost. But what I'm trying to say, for the next few days, is that we really, really should. We need to think about what we're doing before we just barrel ahead and do it. Because every action has a consequence. Every action has an equal and opposite (or magnified) reaction. Love, for example, grows and grows and grows whenever it is released into the world. That's the best action, and the best consequence!