Shattered!

Secular man, (the world), accepts laws of nature. Ice freezes at exactly 32 degrees; gravity dictates that objects fall at an exact speed, (not every once in a while, but every time). There are laws for combustion, friction, sound, motion; the list is long. Colleges and universities teach the laws of physics, chemistry, you name it. Mankind has accepted these laws as truths; they are referred to as axioms.

God’s laws are just as irrefutable, but the world does not have the same general acceptance for His laws. Nonetheless God’s laws dictate everything seen and unseen. The Bible lays out God’s laws for us. Sin is defined for us in detail, as is the consequence of sin. These laws are irrefutable; in other words, what God tells us is definitely GOING
TO HAPPEN! I do not envision God primarily as a personal enforcer,
although in the Bible there are plenty of times that God has personally intervened and directly punished both individuals and nations when the offense was grievous, or when He finally got fed up, or when He wanted to make a point. I believe that is the exception and not the rule. I believe that sin is similar to laws of nature. In other words there is an action and a reaction, a cause and effect; these are “laws”. Just as we know that if we take a rock and set it in motion by hurling it at a glass window, the action will have a reaction of the glass being shattered. When we commit sin the same principle applies.

Let’s look at the Ten Commandments for an example. The Bible tells us to obey them or there will be serious consequences including our own death, (“The wages of sin is death”). Just as glass will be shattered by a rock when the rock is thrown, lives are shattered when sin is set in motion. Consider adultery for example. Jealous spouses can literally take the life of the cheater. Marriages are destroyed, families are torn apart, peace of mind will be impossible for the adulterer; venereal disease can ravage the body. Is God personally intervening to punish the offender, or is it the natural result of an irrefutable law of sin?

Yesterday’s newspaper had an article about a 4 time Olympic gold medal-winning athlete, Olga Korbut, who was caught shoplifting. One of God’s laws tells us not to steal. Sin was set in motion when this person stole $19 dollars worth of groceries. A later examination of her apartment revealed thousands of dollars worth of counterfeit money; more stealing. This popular, wonderful athlete’s life has now been shattered by the rock of sin. Jail, disgrace, ruined career will be the effect; stealing is the cause.

God loves us more than we have the capability of even understanding. He has given us a wonderful guidebook, the Bible, of what we should do and not do to get through this life in great shape. Just as we, as parents, teach our children not to touch a hot stove, drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes, God, a Spirit, is telling us, His children, through His written Holy Word as recorded in the Bible, how to avoid harm’s way.
When we refuse His advice, we suffer the consequences. You cannot get away with adultery. You may run on for a long time, but eventually there will be a consequence and shattered lives will be the result.

We may regret having sinned and ask God to forgive us, and hopefully spare us from the consequences. God forgives sin and could possibly intervene and spare us some pain, but don’t count on it. After you throw a rock at a window, you may wish you had not thrown it, you may regret it immensely, but it will be too late to prevent it from shattering the glass. Don’t let your life be shattered by sin. Study the Bible and try your utmost to obey God’s laws. Realize there are actions and reactions for everything that we do. If you mess up, ask for God’s forgiveness and if you undergo some pain from it, realize that God still loves you, just as you love your little child who ignores your advice and puts their little finger right on a hot stove burner. God will put His loving salve on your burn and He will put the pieces of our shattered lives back together if we will let Him, but it may be painful.


The real key is to ask God through prayer to help us overcome sin in our lives. God wants us to be happy and get through this present age as best as possible. His blood covers our sin at judgment, but we must get through this present age. Jesus Christ Himself stands at ‘your’ door and knocks, patiently waiting for you to ask for help, so He can freely give you the things that are good for you.

_____________________________

Romans 8:31
What then shall we say to these
things? If God is for us, who can
be against us?
He who did not spare His own
Son, but delivered Him up for us all,
how shall He not with Him also
freely give us all things?