Lessons from Gehazi - Part 4

But when they arrived at the hill, Gehazi took the gifts from the servants and sent the men back. Then he hid the gifts inside the house. When he went in to his master, Elisha asked him, "Where have you been, Gehazi?" "I haven't been anywhere," he replied. But Elisha asked him, "Don't you realize that I was there in spirit when Naaman stepped down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to receive money and clothing and olive groves and vineyards and sheep and oxen and servants? Because you have done this, you and your children and your children's children will suffer from Naaman's leprosy forever." When Gehazi left the room, he was leprous; his skin was as white as snow. (2 Kings 5:24-27 NLT). God had lost his patience with Gehazi. Gehazi took matters into his own hands, because he did not fully trust God to provide for all his needs. His actions cost him a lifetime of future misery. At first glance, that doesn’t seem fair. However, remember that Gehazi made his choice with the full awareness that he was being disobedient. He just wasn’t aware of how devastating the consequences would be for his disobedience! What is your sin costing you? Are there missed blessings or are you doing without, because you have refused to turn from sinful practices? I talk to someone nearly every week that is consumed with various sins. They didn’t begin by choosing such destructive patterns of life. They began with small, seemingly insignificant choices. They failed to realize the road they had placed themselves on led to certain destruction. You may be one of those people. There is good news! God will forgive! If you are struggling in sin, whether it is a sin of the flesh or a sin of the spirit, may I gently remind you that your sin will have a lifetime of consequences? I am thankful that the Bible talks a lot about the rewards for righteousness and how God wants to bless us for obedience. We can’t forget, however, that sin is still punished today. Yes, Jesus died for our sins and our sins can be hidden in Him, but we are not immune from sin today. We battle our flesh daily, and when sin is the victor, we are not within the perfect will of God for our lives. God cannot and will not bless sin! He will not be found near unrighteousness! Praise God, He is faithful to forgive us of our sins, and He will cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness, but in order for that to take place, we must repent! We must turn from our sin and seek forgiveness! Then the healing begins! Then the blessings flow! Then our lives are pleasing to Him and bring Him glory and honor! That’s the choice that will begin a new path! Pray for God to give you a clean heart! No matter how far you may have traveled away from him he will welcome you home completely, He will restore you fully.