Exodus 4:8 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.

The onus is on us to deliver the word of reconciliation, we cannot make them accept it. It is our hearts that they will believe our witness, our words, but to hearken is not within our ability to exact.

Life will happen and events will draw His chosen into the fold. What they do not understand in passing up our initial invitation is all the pain of life that will occur between the offer and the acceptance. That pain will wear on their conscience long after their salvation is secured. The fact of those pains do not just disappear because we are saved.

Forgiven yet not forgotten, that pain is now a part of my witness of the old man who needed to come to salvation. I did and it is a warning worth heeding, but will they?

I see this opening verse in my own story, my witness. I heard the offer and I ignored it. I saw the first sign and I did not understand it, because I did not heed the invitation. Then life and pain resulted in a very painful confession of condition. Yes I responded to that latter sign and I am saved but the pain was not mine alone, I inflicted pain of the innocent lives of people who will no longer listen to me, my witness, nor my ministry of reconciliation. That is harm I cannot undo. Only God can undo those moments.

Will you heed this warning and avoid the pain that sin inflicts? It will not only ease your conscience, it will be a blessing to all you avoid wounding.