Consequences!

August 26, 2026

Consequences!

“I have been young and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are ever giving liberally and lending, and their children become a blessing.” Psalm 37:25-26

It is easy to claim my values align with a particular perspective or party or position. It is easy to claim my values align with a particular spirituality or philosophy or ideology. However, what we proclaim to be our core values are sometimes inconsistent with our actions and our attitudes.

The result is we are sometimes surprised by the consequences that follow our choices. One of the hardest lessons to learn when we are teen-agers is there are consequences to our choices. Many parents will encourage their child before they join their friends for an evening party with the words; “Make good choices!” That advice often comes from the parents’ experience of painful consequences following a poor choice.

One of the places in which the inconsistencies between what we say we believe and our actions and attitudes shows up in the raising of our children. In Psalm 37:26 David writes; “They (the righteous) are ever giving liberally and lending, and their children become a blessing.” 

David says the children of people who are righteous become a blessing. A couple of verses later, David comments about the children of people who are wicked. In Psalm 37:28 David says; “The righteous shall be kept safe forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.”

Our children will often reflect our values and beliefs in their choices. David says the children of the righteous will become a blessing to other people and to the Lord God while the children of the wicked shall be cut off from the goodness of life and the generosity of the Lord God. 

The consequences of our choices determine whether we are living an abundant and generous life in the presence of the Lord God or whether we are living a life of scarcity in which we are separated from the Lord God. 

We can say we love the Lord God and everyone should know His love. But, we choose to let our seven-year-old child make their own decision about spiritual matters. There will be consequences to our choice.

We can say we adhere to traditional values and the world would be better if more people did, too. But, we choose to tell our teen-age child they can believe whatever makes them happy. There will be consequences to our choice.

We can say we wish everyone would stand up for justice and peace and love. But, we choose to do nothing when our 10-year-old child expresses contradictory values. There will be consequences to our choice.

The challenge for the righteous and the wicked is that while we are making the choice about what to do next, we often do not fully understand the consequences that will follow our choice. Consider some choices that David made.

David chooses to have an affair with a married woman by the name Bathsheba who is living next door. In that moment, I doubt David fully understood the consequences of his choice.

The consequences of David’s choice are many and they are hard. Bathsheba becomes pregnant, David has Bathsheba’s husband murdered, David marries Bathsheba, David and Bathsheba’s baby dies, David is almost destroyed by his guilt, shame, and grief.

In II Samuel 12:15-18, we hear that as David and Bathsheba’s baby lies near death, David fasts and prays with his face on the ground for seven days. He pleads with the Lord God to save their baby. However, after one week of praying the baby dies. Sometimes the consequences of our choices are very painful for us and for other people.

Sometimes the consequences of our choice turns out to be something positive and good and God-honoring. When David is younger, he chooses to fight Goliath, a giant soldier who serves in the Philistine army. David puts on the traditional armor and picks up the traditional weapons for an Israeli soldier. The consequence of that choice is that David feels uncomfortable and slow rather than confident and agile. 

David makes another choice. He chooses to take off the traditional armor and put down the traditional weapons. David picks up some smooth stones to use in his sling and then approaches Goliath. With one shot from his sling, David falls the giant enemy standing before the Israeli army.

The consequence of this choice is that David wins a decisive victory for Israel, he gains the respect of the Israeli army, and he establishes himself as a creative military strategist. These consequences serve David and Israel well when David eventually becomes king of Israel.

Sometimes the consequences of our choices lead to blessing in our life or in the lives of others. Sometimes the consequences of our choices lead us and others closer to the Lord God. Sometimes the consequences of our choices bring even more peace and joy and love to us and the people about whom we care.

In Psalm 37:26 David reminds us good things come when we make God-honoring choices.  David says; “…their children become a blessing.” 

However, there are other times when the consequences of our choices lead us to regret and shame and guilt. Sometimes the consequences of our choices lead us and others away from the Lord God. Sometimes the consequences of our choices bring even more heart-ache and pain and destruction to us and the people about whom we care.

In Psalm 37:28 David reminds us we will be cut off from the Lord God when we make choices that do not honor God. David says; “…the children of the wicked shall be cut off.”  

I wonder how often our choices align with what we claim to be our core values, what we profess to be our deep faith in the Lord God, what we say is most important to us, and what we believe will most honor the Lord God. There are both painful consequences (i.e., being cut off from the Lord) and positive consequences (i.e., becoming a blessing to the Lord) to our choices.

I am reminded of Joshua’s statement to the Israelite people. In Joshua 24:15, Joshua addresses the crowd; “Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living, but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

 All of us will choose whom we will serve; i.e., our self, our boss, our hobby, our spouse, our career, our appearance, our Harley Davidson motorcycle, our team, our success, etc. Each choice we make has consequences; a consequence that brings the blessing of the Lord God or a consequence that brings separation from the Lord God and other people.

Reflect

Describe one choice you have made in the last few weeks that has left you feeling unsettled. How have you or are you dealing with the feelings of regret or shame or guilt? How could you redeem that choice from the separation it has caused in your relationship with another person? How could you redeem that choice from the separation it has caused in your relationship with the Lord God?

Pray

Lord God, I confess that sometimes what I say is most important in my life, in my priorities, and in my beliefs does not always match with my actions and attitudes. Sometimes I make some good choices that show your blessings. However, there are other times when I make choices that inflict pain on other people and on you.

I am sorry for the choices I have made that did not honor you, Lord God. Forgive me for not keeping my eyes on Jesus when I am making big and small choices in my life. 

Lord God, as I live with the consequences of my choices today, set me on a right path once again. Forgive me for the pain I have caused. Celebrate with me when my choices have helped grow peace and joy and love. Please guide me through the next big choice I am facing now. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Act

Write a brief description of a choice you made that brought about a blessing for you or someone else?  Now, write a brief description of a choice you made that brought about separation in your relationship with another person, group, or Jesus. Invite a friend to coffee and share the consequences of those two choices and how you might make a different choice next time.