Jan 24, 20192 min
And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing. Therefore she said to Abraham, "Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac." And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham's sight because of his son.
Truth or Consequences
Solomon Garcia of Huntington, New York, was crushed to death by a 600-pound safe he apparently was trying to steal. Suffolk County police lieutenant John Gierasch said that the young man was trying to move the iron safe down some stairs of a real estate and insurance company office when it slipped. A maintenance man found the body under the safe at the base of a first-floor staircase.
When we violate God's truth, His Word, consequences always result. Sometimes those consequences are tragic. Abraham discovered this. In his hurry to make God's promise of a son come true, he agreed to take Sarah's servant, Hagar, as a substitute wife. The child born from that union, however, was not God's intended heir. When Isaac, the son of promise, was born, a rivalry developed that eventually caused Sarah to demand Hagar and her son leave the house. Abraham's disobedience brought serious consequences, not only to himself but to everyone he loved. Only God's intervention prevented a tragedy (Gen. 21:16-19).
When we fail to obey God's truth, we can expect consequences. This is not because God is out to get even. Instead, it's because God's truth protects us from situations that will harm us. When we trample down those protective fences God has set up in His Word, we end up experiencing the evil from which those fences were created to save us.
Take God at His word. The Scriptures can keep you from harm. Refuse to violate God's truth either by running ahead or lagging behind His will for your life. God's truth will keep you from the consequences.
Accept the Truth and avoid the consequences.