Law of Fading Consequences…

Isn’t it amazing how quickly the consequences of an action are diminished in our eyes. The further in the future the application of those consequences lies, the less it inhibits our actions. For instance, consider a prominent man who is about to commit adultery on his wife…

• the most distant consequence, eternal separation from God, although it is the most extreme and long-lived of any possible consequence, affects him almost not at all.
• the consequence of losing his wife and family, a definite possibility in the coming days, is constantly on his conscience, but if the possibility is low enough or he justifies it long enough, the pleasure begins to outweigh the loss.
• the consequence of losing standing in the community, of high importance to any man, seems highly unlikely in the face of the pleasure before him.

We are people obsessed with the moment, denying that are souls are starving as we hungrily feast on poison. Yet if we change the variables of the situation, telling the man that if he goes through with his action, he will 1) contract a highly fatal disease, 2) lose his wife and kids the next day, and 3) will be kicked out of his position of authority, only an insane man would go through with the adultery. Are we not all insane? God promises ultimate pleasure – the enjoyment of Him forever – if we will only give up the fleeting pleasures of this life and follow Him, and yet we continually ignore His promise.

For those who do not, another law begins to come into play – the law of increasing reward. These rewards are not prizes for following a set of rules, but rather glory for faithfulness to the Gospel of Christ in the face of suffering.

• We suffer sacrifice of our worldly pleasures (sin) in order to reach a deeper level of maturity in Christ and show the fruit of our faith to be true. As this happens, we must…
• …give up the acceptance of the world in order to have the full acceptance through grace of the Creator of the universe, an acceptance which will make the world hate us so that…
• …we must give ourselves over to pain for the cause of confessing Christ, in order to share with Him in the glory to be revealed in us as sons and daughters. If they hated Christ to the point of death…
• …we may be called to give up life itself in order for Christ’s sufferings so that what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions (Col. 1:24) might be completed in us in bringing life to the church.

The point is, it is a continuing struggle with the Word to “hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.” (Luke 8:15) The more mature we become in Christ, the more difficult the obedience he calls us to will be, and the greater the reward we will share. “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” (1 Pet. 4:12-14) “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.” (2 Cor. 4:16-18.)

I pray you are encouraged. – MB

~ by littleblueflame on June 11, 2008.