I read an interesting post today. I often think of what God wants as obedience. He wants me to obey and He wants me to love. Based on Micah 6:8 God wants justice, mercy, and a humble walk. Granted, all of these require obedience to Him, but it was an interesting look at our ideals and values.
Ezekial 18:21-23 But if the wicked people turn away from all their sins and begin to obey my laws and do what is just and right, they will surely live and not die. All their past sins will be forgotten and they will live because of the righteous things they have done. Do you think, asks the Sovereign Lord, that I like to see wicked people die? Of course not! I only want them to turn from their wicked ways and live. This is the very crux of Christianity. Jesus came that we might LIVE! He doesn’t want to see His children die, but as a just God He can’t ignore it. However, if those children turn away from their wicked ways and obey God, then all the things they’ve done in the past will be wiped out and forgotten (not just forgiven). It’s a good thing that God loves us so much! I love that He has wiped out and forgotten my past. He wants us to live. He’s gone to great lengths to ensure that we can live. Why do you think He gave Israel so many chances to turn and get it right? Yes, He’s just, but He loves His children. It’s like when my children do something they shouldn’t (like using the table as a springboard to jump onto the couch). My inclination is to warn them, warn them, warn them, and finally I have to punish them. I don’t like seeing them upset, but if they don’t heed my warning and directly disobey, that’s bad, too, because they could get hurt. I think God’s like that with us. He gives lots of warning, but eventually He has to punish us (usually to keep us from hurting ourselves or others, and to remind us that what we’re doing is wrong). However, like I said, if my little ones stop trying to be superman off the table and onto the couch, then we move on. I don’t add up the different things they do wrong or punish them for something they did a while ago after they do something else. It doesn’t add up. They turned from what they were doing and obeyed. I forget about what they did and we move on together. Yeah God!
Habakkuk 1: 3 The Lord replied, ” Look at the nations and be amazed! Watch and be astounded at what I will do! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.” In the last two days Habakkuk has been quoted to me twice. It’s an obscure book, only 3 chapters long, next to the other tiny books that no one ever reads, like Zepheniah, Nahum, and Haggai (yeah, those books are really in the Bible). So, to have it come up two times in as many days is pretty unusual. I decided to read it, just to satisfy my curiosity. The first couple of verses is Habukkuk complaining to the Lord about things he sees happening around him – courts no longer do justice but are perverted through bribes, government is similarly corrupt, the people love to argue and fight, and there is much violence and destruction. Some might say that this sounds an awful lot like what happens in America today: bribes and payments get unjust laws passed, politicians line their own pockets, criminals win in court even though it’s clear that they are to blame (like the criminal winning a suit after he gets hurt while robbing someone’s house, or the McDonald’s coffee incident – although that person wasn’t a criminal). And often we, as Christians, complain. If we complain to God, that’s okay. He doesn’t mind us telling Him what’s bothering us or what is frustrating us. He listens. And in this case, He answers. God tells Habakkuk that despite all the craziness and difficulty He is at work. That He is doing something in Israel that Habakkuk wouldn’t even be able to comprehend even if He told him. It’s big, it’s amazing, it’s astounding! In their case, it meant that Babylon was coming, which was going to be a difficult pill to swallow. In our days? Well, God is still working. Even in our country today. And it could be something so amazing that we wouldn’t believe it, even if He told us! So, pray for our country (the Bible does tell us to pray for our leaders – the President and congress), and watch to see what He is going to do!
Jeremiah 30:11b But I must discipline you; I cannot let you go unpunished. As a parent, I can understand this verse like I never could before. Now I know what it’s like to have your child do something that cannot go unpunished. For example, if Gavin were to hit Kainoah, I’d have to punish Gavin. If Kainoah were to ignore my instructions about not running out into the street he would need to be disciplined to remind him to listen to me. Children need instruction, and part of that is learning obedience and the difference between right and wrong. Do I enjoy disciplining my children? Emphatically, no! Just ask my husband… But, when I must, I do. I don’t like it, but I know if I don’t then they could get hurt later on. And, here God sounds the same way. He knows He must (because He is Just and Holy), but it doesn’t bring Him joy (because He loves us). Thankfully, as Christ followers who live after Jesus came to forgive us, we are blessed with grace and forgiveness. It’s not a license to go and do the wrong thing (because our choices still have consequences), but it does give us the opportunity to be forgiven and to start fresh.