Punishment

I can remember as a kid being punished by my parents. I remember spankings. I remember being grounded. I remember the disappointment in my parents face when I did things that were wrong on many levels. As I reflect on my upbringing, I don’t always recall the punishment; I recall the fun times we had. The punishment was to hold tight to the boundaries that were set for me.

God set boundaries for Adam and Eve and they breached the boundaries. They had two sons and one of them breached the boundaries and killed his younger brother. God called out Cain for murder and punished him with banishment from the land and from God’s Presence. Check this out….

¹³ Cain replied to the Lord, “My punishment is too great for me to bear! ¹⁴ You have banished me from the land and from your presence; you have made me a homeless wanderer. Anyone who finds me will kill me!”

¹⁵ The Lord replied, “No, for I will give a sevenfold punishment to anyone who kills you.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain to warn anyone who might try to kill him. ¹⁶ So Cain left the Lord’s presence and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. (Genesis 4:13-16 NLT)

As I reflected on this passage, I realize that because of my sin, I deserve to be banished from the Lord’s Presence. I became even more aware of the Power of Jesus’ death on the cross. Because of His sacrifice, I’m not banished from God’s Presence. God’s Presence remains in me and calls me back from sin. His GRACE is truly amazing! I can’t quite come up with the words to describe my gratitude for His Presence.  I deserve severe punishment, yet He promotes me. I deserve death, but He gives me eternal life.

I’m so thankful that I can never leave His Presence and His Presence NEVER leaves me. Wherever I go, He is with me. When I’m afraid, He is with me. When I’m wrong, He is with me to lead me back to His way for me. I’m thankful that my punishment was squared away by the One and Only Son of God.

Pressing On!

Dwayne