One of the great lessons in the Bible is obedience. After God made His creation He expected the created to obey Him. In Genesis 3 we see the first sin as Eve was deceived by Satan and she and her husband ate from the tree from which God had forbidden them to eat. The consequence was they were cast from the garden and the woman would have pain in childbirth and Adam would work by the sweat of his brow.

Later, God’s chosen people, Israel, were delivered from slavery in Egypt. God had given them instructions about how to live and what to do; serve Him. They chose to follow the people in the land where they went to dwell and, strayed away from Him. He eventually allowed them to be carried off into captivity by Assyria and Babylon. They chose to do what they wanted to do instead of following God.

In our world today, the same is true. We are called to obey and if we disobey there is a consequence to pay—and pay you will. For instance, if you are speeding while driving and are given a ticket, you are required to pay the fine. What if you don’t pay? You could lose your license. You could be taken to jail. There are consequences.

What if you decide to disobey your teacher? You may get swats. You may have a few days in "In School Suspension" (ISS). (Some of you have already found this to be true.)

As Christians, we are called to follow the New Testament. God has given His Word, inspired (God-breathed) by the Holy Spirit. My choice is to follow this word or to ignore it. If I ignore it there will be consequences to pay. You, too, will be banished from God. In this life things may go well for you, but God knows your actions, thoughts and, can read your heart.

Matthew 25, the latter part, depicts a judgment scene. Some of those there obeyed and as a result, received a glorious reward. But to those who disobeyed, they will not be with Jesus but, would be cast out from His presence into eternal punishment. There are consequences for not obeying.

Look at each of these examples I have given and notice one thing. Everyone had a choice. They were not made to do something by force. What are you choosing by the life you live? Jesus knows—will it be reward or consequence?