Scars of Sin
“Israel cries out to me, ‘Our God, we acknowledge you!’ 3 But Israel has rejected what is good; an enemy will pursue him.
Hosea 8:2-3
Israel cries out to God that they acknowledge Him but they already rejected what is good therefore they will suffer the consequences. Israel chose kings without God’s approval and used what God has blessed them with to make and worship idols. An affair with idols against the Lord. The idols are not from God but from the world. The people will sow the wind and therefore reap the whirlwind. You reap what you sow Israel. What was once made for the purpose of sin offerings have now evolved into created idols for sin. Even if they repent, God remembers their sins and will punish them for their wickedness.
I heard about a story of a son who had an anger problem. His dad knew this was a problem and sought out how he can help his son control his temper. He decided to give his son a bag of nails and told him that every time the son lost his temper, he had to hammer a nail into the fence. Just the first day alone, he nailed a dozen nails into that fence. Over the next few weeks the son would hammer the nails into the fence but the amount of nails would gradually decrease as he discovered ways to control his temper. Finally the son was able to control his temper and no longer had a short fuse when something did not go his way. He told his dad the news who then told his son to take out the nails every single day he was able to control his temper. On the final day where the son took out the final nail, his dad congratulated him but then pointed to the fence. The dad said that while the son did a great job in controlling his temper, he should look at all the holes in the fence. This fence will never be the same. When one loses his temper, they will leave a hole that will scar the fence forever. No matter how many times you apologize or try to fix it, the scars will always be there.
That is the grave wound of sin. While the Lord will forgive us and we will never lose our salvation, the scars and the wounds of sin will still remain. We will reap what we sow. That friendship that was broken because of betrayal or because of gossip? It will never be the same even if it was restored. Losing your temper over a simple matter, you will face the consequences of it even if the matter is small. An example of a consequence could be the loss of respect by your family or your church. We reap what we sow. This is why we must seek the Lord and His wisdom to come upon us.
When we choose to please the flesh or the world, we will reap what we sow. We must not have an affair with the world when God seeks our love and acknowledgement not just by words but our heart and actions. We must consult with the Lord before making a decision. We must use what God has given us for His kingdom and glory. We must remain obedient unto the Lord and when He corrects us, we must repent and turn back to Him.
“The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry, but he thwarts the craving of the wicked. 4 Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth. 5 He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.
Proverbs 10:3-5
Those that are wise will bring great joy and respect to their parents. God will honor the wise and righteous. They will never have to worry about what they eat, drink, wear, have, etc. The Lord will provide for those that are righteous through their faith in the gospel of Christ. When we fear the Lord the length of our lives is extended. The wicked will have it shortened.
Laziness is the scourge of the ministry. Only those that are diligent will bring abundant wealth. Likewise, we must not be lazy in our evangelism, inviting VIP to House Church, etc. We must continue to be diligent therefore we can be rewarded with abundant joy and praise for the Lord. The one that is careful will work hard during the summer to harvest for the winter. The lazy and foolish will sleep.
Let us love one another because love is the only verb and noun that will cover all love doing. Only hate for one another will lead to another war.
One who walks in integrity will have a life that is secure whereas those walking otherwise with corruption will eventually have their transgressions discovered. Let our walk determine our reputation. Talking won’t be enough.
