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Consequences

"But if you fail to do this [commands God gave to the ancient Israelites when he commissioned them to conquer the Promised Land], you will be sinning against the Lord; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.”¹

I read some time ago in A Slice of Bread about “some Boeing employees on the field who decided to steal a life raft from one of the 747s. They were successful in getting it out of the plane and home. They forgot about one thing—the raft comes with an emergency locator that is automatically activated when the raft is inflated. So, when they took the raft out for a float on the Stillaguamish River, they were quite surprised by a Coast Guard helicopter homing in on the emergency locator that was activated the moment they inflated the raft.

"They are no longer Boeing employees."

In a very real way when we sin we too are eventually found out, and it isn't God who punishes us. Like the Boeing employees we bring the punishment on ourselves. God has given us a moral law for our protection. When we break it, we end up breaking ourselves. God's moral law is just as universal as is the law of gravity—another law given for our protection. If it weren't for this law, the universe would not hang together and you and I would be flung out into outer space. If we try to defy this law, it's not God or gravity that breaks us—we break ourselves by trying to defy it.

It's the same with God’s moral law. Breaking this law separates us from a holy God. Its ultimate end is spiritual death—which is not the cessation of life but eternal separation from God, the author of all love and life. Whatever hell is, it will be hell! It's not that God sends us there. If we fail to accept his free pardon for our breaking the moral law, in reality, we send ourselves there.

Fortunately, because God loves us so much, he has provided a way of escape. It was through the death of his Son, Jesus Christ, who paid the ransom price for our sins. So whatever you do, don't fail to accept God's total pardon for all your sins and his gift of eternal life. This is your Passport for Heaven. Don't leave earth without it!

For help, click on http://tinyurl.com/dm472.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank You for giving Your Son, Jesus, and thank You, Jesus, for dying on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins. Please come into my heart and life as my personal Lord and Savior. Please help me to live for You and love others as You do. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

Again, for further help be sure to click on the link above the prayer.

1. Numbers 32:23 (NIV).

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