I am a forgiven person and share in the grace of God, yet
because of this reality, I’ve learned that sin is harmful. When I disobey God,
it isn’t the wrath of God that I suffer, but the consequences of sin.
That is, the punishment for sin that I deserve fell on my
Savior, Jesus Christ, so because of Him, I escape the wrath of God. However, that
does not mean that I can do whatever I want and get away with it. Sin still has
consequences, even forgiven sin.
Disobeying God results in impaired judgment, unwise
choices, destroyed relationships, even poor health. It is for my sake that God does
not want me to sin. It is for my own good that I do what He asks.
Today’s verse is from a section in Isaiah about what
happens when God’s people ignore Him. It also speaks of the blessings of
obedience using farming images.
Happy are you who sow beside all waters, who let the feet of the ox and the donkey range free. (Isaiah 32:20)
In those days, seed was sown beside the wet areas and if
the water did not dry up or flood and wash it away, it germinated to produce
crops. God says those who follow Him will not only sow their seed beside all
waters, but they will be happy. This word can also be translated as blessed.
Besides that blessing, those who love God will be like a
farmer whose yield is so abundant that his livestock can range free — eat
wherever they want.
I can recall my farming family’s consternation if the cattle
got into the wheat field or the garden. This gives me a vivid picture of what God
means by this image. His blessing for obedience includes such abundance that
the cows can trample the corn and eat the cabbage — because there is so much of
it!
Lord, I often feel as if I’m the most disobedient of Your
children, and I do suffer the consequences of that foolishness. Yet because of Jesus
and the righteousness that He gives, I also enjoy the happy, abundant life that
He promised. I am so blessed. Thank You.
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