Morning Coffee With Renae

 Amos 3:1 – 2 “Hear this word which the LORD has spoken against you, sons of Israel, against the entire family which He brought up from the land of Egypt: You only have I chosen among all the families of the earth; Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.”

I must have said it to my parents a thousand times. “But everyone else does it.” All the other girls wore those too-short skirts. All the other kids went cruising with their friends in that unsafe part of town.

Mom and Dad’s response was always the same. “You’re not everyone else. You’re my child.”

Now, I say the same thing to my children. And while I may correct someone else’s child if I see he or she is in danger, I’ll correct my own children more swiftly and thoroughly. After all, they’re mine. They carry my heart.

Just as we place boundaries around our children because we love them and don’t want to see them hurt, God’s laws are issued because of love. He doesn’t want us to sin, because sin destroys us. His laws are like danger signs, to keep us from falling off the cliff. And when we disobey those laws, His love demands our punishment.

But we don’t like to hear about punishment, do we? Personally, I’d rather blog about His love, and never mention the punishment part. Personally, I wish He’d just turn His head from my rebellion. After all, if He really loved me, wouldn’t He just let me get away with stuff? How can punishment possibly reflect love?

You and I both know the answer to that. A loving parent will endure a child’s anger in order to save that child’s life, or to give him a better life. And since God is the most loving parent ever, His love drives Him to punish His wayward children.

Swiftly.

Thouroughly.

In the above passage, God speaks to His family. He says, “I chose you. I called you to be Mine. And since you’re destroying yourselves and others with your rebellion, I’m going to punish you. Hopefully, you’ll quit being stubborn and learn your lesson.”

Friends, God doesn’t like to punish us any more than we like to punish our children. He loves us, and He wants only the best for us. That’s why, when we stubbornly refuse to listen and obey, He will punish us to save us.

I know. Ouch.

But isn’t it great to know He loves us that much?

Dear Father, Thank You for Your love and Your discipline, which walk hand in hand to lead me to Your peace, Your joy, and life everlasting. Amen

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.