For some that realization is a jumping off point, they were happy to serve the magic genie who grants all their wishes and hearts desires and never allows any suffering in their lives, but when they are told no or God ask them to do something difficult they give up. We are a lazy society in that sense and in so many others. We want the rewards without the work, we want glory without pain or suffering, we want without deserving.
With God though, on this walk we are taking as we journey closer to Him, He will ask us to do hard things, He will ask us to turn our backs on things we love to change who we are, He will ask us to do things that don't make sense, and He'll tell us to wait when we want to run. This is just one of the lessons that many are missing today, and is often a hard one to swallow, especially after hearing watered down gospel for so long. But this is the truth, God loves us, however He isn't going to give us everything we want, He gives us what won't distract us from Him. God isn't going to make every person who prays to be rich wealthy, He isn't going to miraculous heal every person from illnesses, He can, and He could if He chose to but sometimes we are poor and stay that way so we are dependent on Him, sometimes we are sick and stay that way because if we were healed we wouldn't look to Him anymore. I know someone reading this is thinking 'well that just seems cruel to make people stay poor or sick, a loving God wouldn't do that.' Well then I have to ask you, would someone who really loves you allow you drive home intoxicated knowing you could kill yourself or someone else just because it's what you wanted to do, or would they take your keys and make you dependent on them? Real love is not about getting what you want, sometimes it is being prevented from destructive behavior.
I believe this is actually why the world finds the ten commandments so offensive, it's a list of rules of how we should live that conflicts with the desires of our flesh. We want, what we want, when we want it, without being reminded that we are breaking a rule with consequences. God's commandments will, like His withholding of certain things, keep us from destruction, it keeps us from the misery and pain of sin burdens if we could follow it, and it keeps us from death. Now of course we couldn't keep His laws, but He solved that through Jesus who could, and why did He do that? Because He loves you.
The world would likes to teach us and wants us to believe that love is always about giving, that withholding is cruel. That 'no' is a bad word, and that consequences aren't important so long as we're happy. But brothers and sisters, this is a lie, and one that leaves pain and destruction in its wake, it may not be right away that you face those consequences, but eventually we will all face the fruits of our decisions.
Deuteronomy 8:5
Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you.
Hebrews 12:7-13
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.
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