By Not Known
Have you ever experienced a ‘That’s it!’ moment in your life? It might be that you threw in the towel on a relationship, a job, a deal, or an interest. That can often happen when one party undergoes prolonged frustration of unmet expectations, empty promises, or unfavourable outcomes. Have you been disappointed or vice versa in all these ways.
Time and again the people of Israel in the Old Testament tested God’s patience with their sinful rebellion of his lordship and empty promises of repentance. They worshipped other gods and subjected themselves to detestable practises of surrounding pagan nations. Centuries of repeated chastisements by god’s prophets did no good to their callous hearts. So in 722 BC and 586 BS, the northern and southern Kingdoms respectively had their ‘That’s it!’ moment from God who allowed foreign enemies to besiege them.
‘That’s it!’ moments are wake-up calls that shake some up from indifference and others out of stubbornness when the offer of a second chance is treated with contempt or taken for granted. Perhaps it’s time to put away this idea of a ‘sugar daddy’ God and face up to his rod.
King David had his ‘That’s it!’ moment when he pleaded to God not to cast him from his presence or to take the Holy Spirit from him (Ps 51: 11). That experience did him good for it brought about repentance of sin and a fresh recognition of God’s love in his sternness. “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.” (Heb 12: 5-6)
What about you? Have you tested God’s patience, or are you testing his patience right now? Take heed of God’s ‘That’s it!’ moments so that you may not miss his discipline and suffer the ends of the Old Testament Kingdom through unbelief evident in stubborn sinning (Heb 6: 4- 6)