Harsh...

Reading Exodus today; what an epic story of salvation, obedience, and love. Israel experienced God's intimacy -- presence, leading, provision -- yet, they grumble and stumble and wish for what they once had. I missed this until today -- after Moses is on the mountain, they make the golden calf. They worship; Moses comes down. They drink the remains of the idol; then God commands Moses to tell the Levites to criss cross the camp and wipe out the idolaters!!! Oh my...they killed brothers, sons, wives, daughters. That is a big deal. God demanded obedience; they chose to worship otherwise, and there were consequences. Big, serious ones. I thought it profound that this theme keeps popping up -- God does not just give grace. There are some expectations in this life of faith. If we are living with Him, then our lives must change, they must look differently. This is expected. Do we tell folks this? When they join the family of Jesus, do we tell them that the rules are different? That they will still face consequences when they choose to act outside of His design -- both worldly, and potentially spiritually? How about our kids -- do we shy away from the truth of the matter, or softball them with all grace?

Just some random thoughts for today...not sure if they are making sense, but worth considering!