Consequences part 5
Consequences can go either way. That's mostly what I'm trying to say in this Rant series. Because when you reap what you sow... that has nothing to do with God punishing you. Grace is getting what you DON'T deserve, right? And mercy is NOT getting what you DO deserve. When we're dealing with God He's more interested in who we are--and making sure we know who we really are, which is who we are in Him--than in what we do. Because He knows that what we do flows from what we believe. Our actions flow from our identity. Christ's love controls us. Because either we don't know we are loved and we do everything we do in order to get that love that we think we don't have... or we do know that we are loved and we do everything we do in order to share that love with the people in our lives! But to end this Rant series I really just want to hammer home that consequences are not always a bad thing. Look at the dictionary.com definition for consequence: "the effect, result, or outcome of something occuring earlier." Because, as I mentioned the other day, ever action has an equal and opposite reaction. Newton's third law. So what I think needs to happen more often is... we need to do things with purpose. Look at Luke 14:28-29, "For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him." Before you do something, ask yourself: Is the juice worth the squeeze? Is what I'm doing serving my purpose and my goals? You've heard the old saying, "If you want something different... do something different." And I always add the little asterik, "Unless you're building something. In which case, stay the course." We have this microwave, snapshot mentality so often where we think, "If I don't get instant gratification, it's not worth it." But we have to remember that life is always changing and evolving. Rome wasn't built in a day. All things are working together for good... but good things take time. You can't expect to have it all when you're just starting out. But even baby steps are foward steps. Forward progress. The consequences of moving forward is that you're going to get where you're going. It may take time. But that's ok. We have been given a never-ending eternal life. An abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life of Love! If we want to enjoy that life... look. If you sow love you will reap it. Not because loving people is about getting--because love IS giving--but because it is a natural consequence of putting love out into the universe. If you shine, the world lights up. Action, reaction. And that's how it's supposed to work. That's all we're supposed to do. This little light of mine. I'm gonna let it shine. And when it shines, it lights everything up. As it's supposed to. So we can see clearly. So we can live fully. To live is to love and to love is to live. The consequences of loving... is living. The consequences of living... is loving. They aren't just connected. They are the same thing. So. Consequences aren't always bad. They simply depend on what you choose to do. And they have nothing to do with God punishing anybody!