Psalm 98-101 The Cost Of Our Disobedience

“Moses and Aaron … and Samuel … called to the Lord, and He answered them.  He spoke to them … They kept the rules and laws He gave them.  Lord our God, You answered them.  You showed them that You are a forgiving God, but You punished them for their wrongs.”

The great leaders of the Jewish people still sinned.  They cried out to God for forgiveness, and in His faithfulness He granted it.  Yet, they did bear the consequences of their sin.  The most notable of the three was Moses, I think, who had led the people out of Egypt for 40 years, yet was not allowed to enter the Promised Land – having to be satisfied with gazing upon it from a high mountain just outside the borders.

We, too, can come so close to the best God has for us, yet miss it because of the consequences of our sin.  Yes, God does forgive, and He does restore.  But our sin taints our memories and causes us to have to settle for less than God’s best for us. 

Father, that may be the only sadness in heaven – to get there and have You finally show me what You’d intended for my life and then compare it to where I eventually ended up.  Yet I think it will be necessary so that we can see just how much You did love us, and how much or disobedience really cost us.  Then we will see the value of grace.  Please help me during the remaining years of my life to minimize the differences between what You want from me and what I actually do.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford