Galatians 6:7-9
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
Sunday afternoon, Joyce and I had the rich blessing of spending time with one of our five great-grandchildren, the only one who lives anywhere close to us. The other four live thousands of miles away. Sob! As I was saying, Ruby is just over one year old, has started to walk, and is learning new words. Three of these words are hair, hat, and hot. She pronounces all three virtually the same way.
She had been talking about her hair and a hat that her grandparents had bought for her. I started to brew a pot of coffee and her dad, Seth, picked her up and walked toward the stove. When he was close, he said the word, hot. Ruby repeated, ha! During their visit, her pronunciation for, hat, hair, and, hot all sounded the same, but what a difference in meaning and consequence.
I have been thinking about her words and how cute they sounded. At the same time I became aware that there was a vast difference in all three. Ruby would place her little hand on her head and say, “Ha,” when asked where her hair was or where her hat was. She would also say, “Ha,” when near the stove. Seth mentioned that Ruby had never felt the heat of something hot, but they had been teaching her to stay away from hot stoves. She was learning her lesson well.
The Lord tells us to stay clear of objects in our life that would cause us harm. It is not to deprive us of pleasure, but to prevent us from suffering the consequences. You may have suffered consequences in your own life because you refused to obey God. Let me just give you this word of admonition: STAY AWAY FROM THE HEAT! THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES INVOLVED!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing to others!
—Pastor Cecil