Crossing The Line
Have you ever seen a parent with an unruly child in a store. They repeatedly tell the child, "NO." They begin to scold them and threaten them with severe punishments. They may even have to spank the child's hand in an effort to keep the child in line. However, eventually the child "crosses the line." The child disobeys one too many times, or the child does something very serious. When the line is crossed the parent springs into action, and the punishment is swift and severe.
Proverbs 29:1 reminds us that God does much the same thing to us. He rebukes us often. He is consistent and fair, but if we harden our neck against Him, sudden destruction will come, and there is no remedy for it. It is not that God is not merciful or gracious. On the contrary, He is very merciful and long-suffering toward us. However, He does have a line. If we cross it, we will feel His severe punishment. Therefore, since we don't know where the line is, we need to stay as close to Him as possible, and we need to obey Him without causing Him to have to rebuke us, at all. This will ensure that we do not cross the line.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Proverbs 30-31 and Ecclesiastes 1.
Proverbs 29:1 reminds us that God does much the same thing to us. He rebukes us often. He is consistent and fair, but if we harden our neck against Him, sudden destruction will come, and there is no remedy for it. It is not that God is not merciful or gracious. On the contrary, He is very merciful and long-suffering toward us. However, He does have a line. If we cross it, we will feel His severe punishment. Therefore, since we don't know where the line is, we need to stay as close to Him as possible, and we need to obey Him without causing Him to have to rebuke us, at all. This will ensure that we do not cross the line.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Proverbs 30-31 and Ecclesiastes 1.