Life is not a game. Even if you don’t believe this, life has a way of proving it to you. One of the ways that life proves this is through the habits and patterns we have developed along our journeys. Some of these habits and patterns are productive, and if they are, we will witness the positive reinforcement that God has designed the universe to provide. On the flip side of this, when we develop habits and patterns that are counter-productive and negative, we will experience negative consequences. Notice that God doesn’t prevent us from engaging in the wrong stuff. He doesn’t come down from His throne and get in our faces about the crazy and negative things we sometimes do. He allows us to make our own mistakes because the consequences we face from those mistakes can potentially lead us to accountability, correction, repentance, and then, elevation. Our greatest lessons are not learned from the decisions we make. Our greatest lessons are learned from the consequences of those decisions. It is only when we make a false move, bad choice, or an error in judgement that we then can become conscious of the wrong we’ve done. God wants us to get woke about it. He wants us to walk around with our eyes wide open. Jesus Christ said in Revelation 3:2(NLT), “Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God.” We must come into consciousness about what we do and how we live because we are going to be judged by God on all of it. Ecclesiastes 12:14(NLT) says, “God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.” God created us in His own image, and like Him, we can make our own decisions and choices for our lives. We’re not robots or puppets. We decide who we are going to be, and we must also be accountable for who we are. God created us out of His love, and He created us to be love. He calls us children of light, but this is a choice. Because of what Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross, it is available for you and me to be the children of light that God desires us to be, but we can also deny Jesus Christ and remain children of darkness. Heavenly Father is always rooting for us to be the best. He wants us to walk in His love and to make decisions based on His Laws and Word. He wants to stamp us with “BLAMELESS!” so we can enjoy His blessings. You and I have to decide what kind of judgement from God we want. We need to decide whether we like the consequences of our past decisions and choices, because the quality of life we have in the right now of this moment is a direct result of the decisions and choices we’ve made in the past. We are reaping in this moment the fruits of the seeds we’ve sown. If we don’t like what we’re getting, we need to change what we’re putting out there, because only the things rooted in the love of God can produce a harvest that is good for us, good for the Kingdom, and good for everyone else. In life we are going to make mistakes. We are an imperfect people, born into an imperfect world, surrounded by other people that are not perfect either. However, our mission is to be perfected in Christ. With every decision and choice, we are learning to walk in his victory and by his example. We are perfected in him as we learn and acknowledge what pleases the Father. We also have to learn what doesn’t please the Father, and many of us learn this lesson the hard way. For many, learning the hard way is the only path to truly accepting the reality that if we’re doing something that doesn’t please God, it ain’t worth doing. The Apostle Paul said in 1Corinthians 3:10(NLT), “Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful.” You and I are building upon a foundation that Jesus Christ laid. Paul added to it, and you and I have the honor and privilege to add to it as well, but HOW we add to it is very important. This is why we should pay attention to the consequences of our actions. Consequences show us how far or how close we are to the foundation Jesus laid. God wants you to become successful, because successful people influence others. He wants you to have positive influence so others can watch what you do and do it too! And not only this, successful people understand the power and downfall of consequences. They choose power from a place of understanding how not to make mistakes. Follow their lead. The proof is all around us. We can make the most of the life God has given us by staying away from evil and darkness, and by making choices and decisions that please Him. ■ Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. “Pay Attention to the Consequences of Your Actions”, written by Vince Mack. Blessing Beads and More© 2019. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.