Chase wished he had listened to his mom when she told him not to jump his bike over the ramp he had built with planks of wood--but jumping his bike was fun! I'll do it just one more time, he thought when Mom went into the house. So he tried it again. The planks shot up as he hit the ramp, and all he could remember after that was the pain.

"Mom, I'm so sorry," Chase said through tears after the doctor had set the two broken bones in his arm. "I shouldn't have disobeyed you."

"I forgive you," said Mom. "But I'm not the only one you disobeyed. By disobeying me, you also disobeyed God, and you need to ask His forgiveness too." Chase nodded. He and Mom prayed together, and then he felt much better, knowing he was forgiven.

The next morning, Chase was discouraged. The pain in his arm had kept him awake much of the night. "I can't stand this," he complained to his mother. "My arm hurts so bad." Chase sighed. "If God forgave me for disobeying, why doesn't He take the pain away? I asked Him to."

"Chase, when we realize we've done something wrong and confess our sin, God is always willing to forgive us, but He doesn't always take away the consequences of what we've done," Mom explained. "We sometimes have to face those consequences."

"What are consequences?" Chase asked.

"They're the result of our actions," Mom said. "The pain you're feeling in your arm is the result of breaking your arm while you were doing something I had told you not to do." Mom gently rubbed Chase's back. "Now you're suffering the consequences."

Chase sighed. "I can see--and feel--what you mean!"

Mom smiled. "It helps to remember that, for those who trust in Jesus, the consequences of sin are only temporary. Because He took the punishment for our sin when He died on the cross, we don't have to face the ultimate consequence of sin-- eternal separation from God. The pain in your arm will eventually ease, and one day, when you see Jesus, you'll never be in pain again." RAELENE E. PHILLIPS

HOW ABOUT YOU?
Have you ever had to face the consequences of sin—even after you confessed it? God always forgives confessed sin, but He doesn’t always take away the consequences. In this broken world, we often have to experience painful results of wrong things we’ve done. But if you know Jesus, the consequences won’t last forever. He experienced death, the ultimate consequence of your sin, so you could have eternal life with Him.

TODAY'S KEY VERSE: PSALM 89:14 (NIV)
RIGHTEOUSNESS AND JUSTICE ARE THE FOUNDATION OF YOUR THRONE. (NKJV)