Hard Things
Hard Things...
“Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my Lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.”
Ezra 10:3
Being intimate with sin has a very high cost. Not the price Christ paid on calvary, but a cost to the sinner. Imagine you had found a wife...a very attractive woman that you had taken the time to get to know, cultivate a relationship, marry and then have children. Now at the beginning of the relationship you knew it was against God’s Word and Will but it just felt so good. It seemed right to love like that and bring forth children together...how could God really not want this? But that isn’t the end of it. No, God’s Spirit is grieved and while you may have a great deal of worldly things and pleasures you simply cannot find joy and peace. You know why, even though you try to ignore this truth as you just compound and complicate each relationship while straining your relationship with God. Then, God’s Word and Will convict so greatly, you know what you have to do. You have to separate yourself from everything that has taken you away from Him. How much God hates sin is measured by how much sin hurts us, because He loves us so much. God knew from the start that this was going to hurt us. He knew what would have to happen if we went down that road but He doesn’t stop us. Sure, He tries to get our attention and remind us that what we’re looking for is found IN Him, but He cannot force Himself on us. So, He patiently, lovingly waits for us to realize just how much we need His very presence so that we might finally be willing to do the hard things.
Pastor Larry Hof
“Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my Lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.”
Ezra 10:3
Being intimate with sin has a very high cost. Not the price Christ paid on calvary, but a cost to the sinner. Imagine you had found a wife...a very attractive woman that you had taken the time to get to know, cultivate a relationship, marry and then have children. Now at the beginning of the relationship you knew it was against God’s Word and Will but it just felt so good. It seemed right to love like that and bring forth children together...how could God really not want this? But that isn’t the end of it. No, God’s Spirit is grieved and while you may have a great deal of worldly things and pleasures you simply cannot find joy and peace. You know why, even though you try to ignore this truth as you just compound and complicate each relationship while straining your relationship with God. Then, God’s Word and Will convict so greatly, you know what you have to do. You have to separate yourself from everything that has taken you away from Him. How much God hates sin is measured by how much sin hurts us, because He loves us so much. God knew from the start that this was going to hurt us. He knew what would have to happen if we went down that road but He doesn’t stop us. Sure, He tries to get our attention and remind us that what we’re looking for is found IN Him, but He cannot force Himself on us. So, He patiently, lovingly waits for us to realize just how much we need His very presence so that we might finally be willing to do the hard things.
Pastor Larry Hof
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