Consequences

God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows (Galatians 6:7).

Are there consequences for your actions? Many Americans don’t seem to think so. Our court system is choked with cases where people are filing law suites instead of taking responsibility for their own foolish behavior. For example, not long ago a man who is overweight went to court and filed suite against a fast food diner, claiming that the restaurant was responsible for making him fat.

But there are times when you can’t escape the consequences of your actions. Suppose a mother lets her little girl play unsupervised in the yard. The child wanders into the street and is killed by a motorist who doesn’t see her in time to stop. The grieving mother can sue the driver’s pants off, but no court decision will change the consequence of a bad decision—the little girl is dead because her mother’s attention was someplace else.

We tend to make decisions as if nothing bad could come as a result. Spent all your money foolishly? No problem—just file for bankruptcy. Don’t like to work? Get on government support. Get caught committing a crime? With good legal advice, you can probably get off with little more than a slap on the wrist.

But there are consequences to your actions, consequences that are unavoidable. Although you cannot see Him, God can see you. He hears every time you insult someone or tell a lie. He sees every time you cheat on your taxes or on your spouse. God knows everything you think, say and do, and when you die you will have to face Him, knowing that He will accept no excuses from your lips because He knows the truth about you. God will punish you for every way you have bent and broken His laws; the consequence of sin is everlasting pain in hell.

There is just one way to escape the consequences of your actions. You must let Jesus take charge of your life before it is too late. God’s Son accepted the consequences of your sinful behavior; He suffered and died in your place. He did this out of love for you; He wants to spare you from eternity in the devil’s prison. But you must accept responsibility for your actions and tell Jesus how sorry you are; to be free from the consequences of your misdeeds, you need to stop making excuses and trust in Jesus’ mercy.