I have studied theology and doctrine for well over a decade now, and while I could quote you chapter and verse of the scriptural basis for most of what I believe, it wasn't until the last three of four years that God has taken my understanding to a whole new and more personal level.My oldest daughter, Melody is four and a half. For a couple of years now we have been on the journey of shaping her will and teaching her right from wrong by teaching her first time obedience. Over the years, I have developed within my daughter a respect for her daddy. She has learned that the boundaries that I set for her must be adhered to, or there will be serious consequences. This is great. Because of the investment I made earlier on, I now spend far less time having to correct her behavior and more time playing and loving on her-- which she definitely prefers. Therefore, because of that obedience, she is not as inclined to disobey her daddy because of her fear and respect.
And yet, I still miss the lesson God has in this for me. Like all folks, I have my list of sins with which I struggle, and I think the main reason we struggle with these sins is that we do not truly fear and respect God. We go on sinning regardless of what consequences our sin had. In Hebrews we really catch a glimpse of how serious our sin is to God, "...without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." (9:22b) If God takes it this violently serious, why then can we not learn the same lesson I work diligently to teach by daughter? I wonder will I ever learn to truly fear God in such a way that I dare not cross the boundaries that He has set before me. To quote the Apostle Paul, in Romans 7, "24What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! "
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