A thought by Mark Batterson from his
book, Double Blessing (p. 23). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle
Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)
This is a part of the if and then to be under the umbrella of God's blessing.
Mark says, “Our covering is Christ
crucified, a covering that was foreshadowed as far back as the Garden of Eden.
After Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God covered
their nakedness with clothing made from animal skins. That first sacrifice
foreshadowed the final sacrifice on Calvary’s cross.
“The covering of Christ is prefaced by
the Passover as well. On the night that God delivered Israel out of Egypt, He
instructed them to smear their doorframes with the blood of the Passover lamb. (Exodus 12:7) The blood of the lamb provided a protective covering. Jesus is our Passover
Lamb, and it’s His blood that breaks the power of canceled sin.”
He goes on, “If you cheat on your taxes,
for example, you are stepping out from under the umbrella of God’s blessing.
The same is true if you cheat on your spouse. Does God forgive those offenses?
If we repent, of course, He does! But I cannot promise that the IRS or your
spouse will.
“It’s important, at this juncture, to
make a distinction between penalty
and consequence. When you confess
your sin, that sin is forgiven and forgotten. The penalty for sin was paid in
full two thousand years ago, but you still have to live with the consequences of your actions.”
He then says, “When we disobey God, we
put ourselves in a precarious position. Again, that isn’t a threat. And of this
I’m sure: God doesn’t want fear to dictate our decisions. Perfect love casts
out all fear, so we can face the future with holy confidence! That said, you
cannot break the law of sowing and reaping any more than you can break the law
of gravity. No one can. The law of sowing and reaping will make you or break
you, and the pivot point on that seesaw is obedience! Simply put, obedience is
the first habit of highly blessed people.”
And we want to face our future with
holy confidence, don’t we?
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