Consequences

Philippians 2

Have you ever thought about the consequences of your choices? Scripture is very real to life, describing the human follies that not only implicate life in the present, but life down through generations of time. For example, Christians, Jews, and Muslims are all impacted by the decision of Abram and Sarai, to use Hagar as a surrogate mother for Abram’s child. To this day there is rivalry between Jews and Arabs over the land God promised to Abraham (Genesis 12:7), the land Christians call the Holy Land, because it is the birthplace of Christ!

Even farther back – to the very beginning, we find the choice Adam and Eve made in the Garden of Eden inflames mankind today, bound with the consequences of innate sin. Father Adam’s choice to believe the devil’s lie caused our DNA to be tainted with sin (Romans 5:12, 17). Thankfully, the choices another man made provide us with new life. More about that later.

David, King of Israel made various decisions that caused dissension within his family. He had too many wives, so the rivalry between his sons could be described in today’s language as dysfunctional. However, in his heart David worshiped God, writing some of the most beautiful songs (Psalms) used by the Church today. Therefore he, like Abraham, is described as a “friend of God” (James 2:23), or “a man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22). He became the forefather of the Babe who is famous for being born in the City of David.

With God there is always room for forgiveness, no matter what we have done. The Bible teaches us that it’s never too late to ask for God’s forgiveness. Take the thief on the cross as an example. His eternal destiny was determined by a last-minute choice and the consequence was that He is spending eternity with Jesus (Luke 23:43).

It is not only the choices made by the rich and powerful that touch the heart of God. An unnamed woman put everything she had into the temple treasury. We don’t know what prompted her to do so. She didn’t look for recognition for her sacrificial giving but Jesus was sitting there, watching her (Luke 21:1-4). Two thousand years later the consequence of her devotion to God challenges every Christian, regarding giving to the work of God!

A baby was born and laid in a manger. It’s easy to forget this baby was fully human. Called the “Holy Babe of Bethlehem” by lyricists and authors, Jesus was both God and man. This made Him vulnerable to temptation. However, He chose not to give in to Satan when tempted in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). He chose not to give in to His human frailty when faced by the cross when He sweated it out in prayer, in Gethsemane (Mark 14:32). The consequence was that He paid the penalty for sin – yours and mine.

Reflection:

Since you and I are only human, let us thank God He had a plan that gives hope to every situation, despite the consequences of our choices. Thank God we do not have to pay the penalty of our foolish indecision or even our rebellious disbelief, if we recognize Jesus as Saviour and Lord of our lives. We may reap the benefit of Jesus’ choice to give up His glory in order to become a man who walked this earth as our example. Praise God! What will you do with Christ and what will be the consequences?