Galatians 6:7 gives a stark warning to all of us, "Whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap." As Christians, the Lord has been gracious to forgive us of our sins but sadly there is still a reaping that happens from the bad seeds we have sown. Was anger your great sin, if you repented then God forgives you, but that anger has consequences (what we reap). Was pornography your sin, adultery, fornication, or lying? Whatever you have done it can be forgiven, but there are still consequences. The consequences of our decisions are usually not immediate. It may be decades till we see them.
King David
In 2 Samuel 12 David is told by Nathan that God has forgiven his great sin of adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband however there will be consequences to those sins. The sword will never depart from David's house, adversity will be against him from his own home, his wives will be with other men and his child born with Bathsheba will die. David lived his whole life facing these exact consequences. David saw the death of four of his sons. Two of those sons tried to gain the throne for themselves. One of his sons, Amnon raped his own half-sister. David's son Absalom slept with David's concubines in broad daylight. War was a part of David's life almost constantly.
David Praises God in his Psalms
What is so wonderful about David and his relationship to God was the fact that David, in the midst of facing the consequences of his sin, did not forget to praise and give glory to God. The great book of Psalm that is such an encouragement to us today was written by the very man who lived this life full of consequences. How could David be so optimistic while going through so many tragedies? Because he knew His sins were forgiven, he knew God was faithful to his promises, he knew that God loved Him, he knew that God was greater than the circumstances he found himself in.
When David was discouraged, He cried out to God and God answered him. When David was filled with praises for the blessings in his life, he sang those praises. When David didn't know where to turn, he ultimately always turned to God. The writer of Psalm 23 had seen much evil, even in his own family, and yet he wrote, "I will fear no evil, for thou art with me." This is why the book of Psalm speaks to us so well. David was a forgiven man, like us, but he still faced the consequences of his sin and he still loved God with all his heart.
Consequences for Bad Decisions
Sometimes we think that forgiven means there will be no consequences. But there always are. Sometimes our consequences are spiritual and sometimes physical. We are not the ones who decide what the consequences of that sin are, it is God who decides. Our bad choices could keep us from having opportunities to serve God that may be lost. Our bad choices may have health consequences years later. Our bad choices may cause us to struggle with certain temptations more than we should have to. Our bad choices affect others.
Consequences for Good Decisions
But what happens when the seeds we sow are for God? What happens when our choices and decisions are guided by God? It is then that we see the fruits of the Spirit. These fruits come from seeds that are sown by us for God. These are listed in Galatians 5: 22-23 - love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. How much easier, happier, and simpler our lives would be if we would reap this kind of harvest. But our greatest reward for a Spirit filled, Spirit led life is Heaven.
As Dr. John Barnett has said, "What really counts in life-actions that lead to positive consequences-are the works Jesus does in and through us when we make ourselves available to God." Pray that God will help you to become more like David and praise Him in the midst of trying times, in the midst of your consequences, and pray that we will, every day, allow Jesus to work through us so the positive consequences of the fruits of the Spirit will be ours.
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