Things My Mother Taught Me | Obey the Rules

There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil… Romans 2:9

“Just wait til your father gets home!” was Moms’ dreaded warning for kids in the ‘50’s and ‘60’s. In the ‘80’s and 90’s, it was: “Just wait til I get off work!” And nowadays it’s, “That’s it! You’re losing your smartphone, ipad, and Xbox for a week!” Whatever the decade and whatever the youthful infraction, responsible parents brought consequences on erring children. Our moms taught us that even though they would leap in front of a semi-truck to rescue us, they would also rain down trouble and calamity if we didn’t straighten up. That’s because they were good parents. Good parents don’t allow destructive behaviors to continue under their roofs because they love the adults those children will become. Character formation is serious business.

God is a good parent too: character formation is a huge deal to Him and He is willing to rain down trouble and calamity if we persist in doing evil. Good moms are not all sunshine and roses, they have rules that must be obeyed. She was going to give us something to cry about if we didn’t stop that right now. She could be tough because she knew what would happen to a child if that child continued on the path they were on. God knows that too and His rules must be obeyed—or else. He is eager to forgive and restore those who repent, but for those who persist in doing wrong, His warnings are not empty threats. Mom may have never actually knocked us into kingdom come, but if she was consistent and balanced in her discipline, we can better understand God’s.

Final Thought:  We should take God’s warnings seriously. His rules, like Mom’s, are for our own good.
Prayer: Father, thank you that you love us enough to give us wise commands to live by. You also love us enough to enforce them. It proves you’re a good Father. Help me to live in such a way that you are glad you adopted me.  Jesus’ name, Amen.