Rebellion*Repentance*Kindness

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is as the sin of iniquity and idolatry. 1 Samuel 15:23

Sometimes we keep "pet" habits, and justify them. Rebellion is seen as cool. Some things that are typically seen as rebellious I think don't really matter to God. Tattoos and piercings do not automatically make you rebellious. Going against God's word, that makes you rebellious. Going against the Holy Spirit breathed instinct into your conscience, that is rebellious.

My rebellion was small, or so it appeared to me. I have a preference for my coffee to be ground on the finest espresso grind at the grocery store. The problem was the grinder in the regular coffee section did not have that grind. So I would sneak over to the organic coffee grinder and use it. My coffee was not organic. I justified it because I sometimes wonder if organic foods really are better, or if it is a hoax. But one day I was convicted.

The Lord spoke to my heart; you cannot do this anymore. I know that voice and I heeded it. I don't know why He didn't convict me before. But I knew perfectly ground coffee was not worth losing the peace of God in my heart. I repented. To repent is to change one's mind for the better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one's past sins. Now I think, it was just stupid, really, and certainly not kind to insist on my coffee rebellion.

But, guess who is kinder than we could ever hope to be? I went to the coffee aisle last week and it was all rearranged. I looked and they had replaced the grinder with one that had the espresso fine grind. What a sweet blessing! God is kinder than we deserve. If I had not changed my path to one of non-rebellion I would have never been blessed by the change in grinder. It would have been, "Good, now I don't have to walk halfway across the store to grind my coffee." Instead it was, "Thank you God, You are so kind."

According to the verse up there if we don't heed that conviction of the Lord it leads to stubbornness. I felt when I read it that it was like making an idol of your own rebellion. We make a prize of the ugly rebellion that God has called witchcraft.

Once we prize something we may find it hard to give up. But if you do there is only kindness from the Lord in return. He won't rub it in and you will not miss that rebellion. God will come in and fill that void with Himself, and bless you more than you deserve.

Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? Romans 2:4