Don’t Make Me Come Back There
Don’t Make Me Come Back There
“Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all good things are come upon you, which the Lord your God promised you; so shall the Lord bring upon you all evil things, until he have destroyed you from off this good land which the Lord your God hath given you.”
Joshua 23:15
Have you ever been the recipient of that threat while on a road trip with your parents or grandparents? No not the one that Jeremiah writes of, but the one you’re parents have issued. Have you ever been the issuer of such a threat as a parent or grandparent? If you haven’t been either, you’ve never lived.
In almost every case it was accompanied by “don’t make me pull this car over!” But in almost every case they were empty threats that were never followed through on. (Mostly).
It doesn’t mean it didn’t work, it just means that it didn’t have to actually happen for us to get the impression that it would.
There was enough evidence to suggest that if my behavior continued, the car would stop and I would receive an MVP-style punishment that I would never forget without said parent or grandparent ever leaving the vehicle. It’s scares me now just to think about it. My grandfather loved me, but I have no doubt he would follow through on demanding obedience through punishment.
As you read the Bible and hear words such as “until he have destroyed you off this good land” - the threat appears legitimate. We have no doubt that God would follow through on his promise against disobedience. And in many instances, just like this verse, He did.
So why do we continue to test Him? We continually and knowingly sin. We go against the Will of God. We don’t ask for His input in our relationship. We don’t seek His advice. We continue on with our bad behavior, testing God and pushing His buttons. We wait for the car to pull over to see if we will actually get punished.
It didn’t take long for many in the Bible to understand that God would follow through on His promises. They weren’t empty threats. Many people were removed from the earth because they weren’t obedient to God. They didn’t believe. And like today, we continue in our sin, big or small, we just don’t believe. We hide it. We mask it. We lie about it.
I can’t answer the questions above. I still sin. I know others sin. I still know that God has the power to stop the madness at any time. Yet, on we go with blatant disregard.
I know a lot of those promises were followed-through in the Old Testament. The New Testament is filled with forgiveness and new covenants. Jesus brings forth a peace offering between man and God. Jesus is just like your mom in the passenger seat looking back at you to prevent the whooping that was about to come. She, in no pun intended, was most often, the sacrificial lamb.
Your mom was sometimes the only thing that prevented the car from stopping. It was sometimes the only thing that prevented me from climbing into the backseat as the vehicle was still in motion. She was the mediator. The go between. The pleasing voice of reason.
Jesus has offered us a way to go to the Father through Him. And through this way we find peace, humility and love among a few traits that Christians possess.
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
John 14:6
We have a way to go before God. We have a way to learn more, teach more and share more. We have a way to worship more. So why don’t we take advantage of it? Each of us could use a little sacrifice. We can pray more. We can read the Bible more and meditate on its word. We can develop a relationship with God.
I’ve said it before, you have to start before you can do and you have to do before you can continue. Why not start today?
Wouldn’t the trip be better if we didn’t push the limits of our Father?
“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:7
“Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.”
2 Thessalonians 3:16