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Israel, I won’t lose my temper and destroy you again. I am the Holy God—not merely some human, and I won’t stay angry. Hosea 11:9 (CEV)
The difference between punishment and discipline hinges on the desired outcome. When a wrong is done, the human response is revenge. Those who do wrong must pay. It’s Justice.
What is it that gives the parent freedom in the courtroom to forgive the drunk driver that killed her child? What is it that empowers the father to visit the man in prison that molested his daughter? How can a spouse forgive when he/she has been cheated on, abused or humiliated? How can you forgive a God who claims to be loving but allows famine, cancer and war to tear the lives of people apart?
The answer boils down to a single word: value. It’s a matter of mercy over justice. Man seeks justice because justice demands repayment for sin. Punishment is the motivation for justice, but punishment will never fully repay for actions done.
To the mother that forgives the drunk driver, all the pain, all the anger, all the hatred and all the prison time in the world will never bring her daughter home. There is no amount of time in prison that will heal the scars the molester leaves on the life of a young girl. There is nothing that will heal a broken heart.
Man’s punishment is never intended to improve the life of the perpetrator. On the other hand, God seeks to amend, to build up, to correct. His actions are intended to correct an error so that the guilty person can continue on the journey stronger, more confident and more useful.
That’s not to say we should never send anyone to prison, or that justice should never be served. The justice system, flawed as it may be, is designed to physically protect us from those who would harm us, but that system was never intended to deal with issues of the heart.
God’s dealing with us is a simple case of mercy over justice; of natural consequences over penalty; of value over revenge. The two may look the same in some cases but one destroys value the other is intended to build character. One is motivated by love, the other by anger; one frees us, the other enslaves us; one brings eternal life, one brings eternal separation from a holy and loving God.
Whether you are sitting behind physical bars of a prison or emotional bars made from the scars of a life gone wrong, know this. The God of the universe isn’t into punishment for the sake of punishment; his goal in allowing you to go through whatever you are going through is to build character in you. He values you far beyond anything else in the world.
PRAYER: Lord, even though you have freed me through Jesus there are still times I want to keep others in the prison of their souls. There are times I live entrapped by my own guilt and shame. Help me to see the value you have in me and pass that value on to others. Amen.
I am innocent, Lord, and I will see your face! When I awake, all I want is to see you as you are. Psalm 17:15 (CEV)
Adam and Eve tried to hide among the trees with a few fig leaves hastily positioned in vital places.
Moses ran into the wilderness and opted for tending sheep rather than being ruler of the most powerful nation of the time.
David made a few choices intended to clear his situation by murdering one of his own men.
Peter hid in the shadows and pretended he didn’t know his very best friend.
Judas hung himself.
What do all these people and countless others have in common? Their sin drove them away from God. Their failures caused them to despair of life itself. These kinds of actions continue to this very day.
Even people who claim to have no relationship with or interest in God struggle to find the peace and contentment that comes from a vital, passionate, personal relationship with God. Call it sin, poor choices of whatever you want. When you live apart from God, you live without peace because true peace and contentment can only be found in him.
Too often we see sin as choices and decisions that make God angry at us. While God can’t stand sin, his anger is towards the sin, not us. When we live in sin, rather than relationship with him he has no choice but to turn his back on us.
The Psalmist longs to see the face of God. He longs for the restored relationship that will allow the love of the Father to permeate to his very soul. It’s only this passionate relationship that can soothe the pain of our waywardness and stop the bleeding of the wound hidden deep inside all of us.
The Psalmist also knows that the only way to see the face of the Father is to be innocent of all sin. “Impossible” you may say, and you would be right. None of us have any hope of innocence before God regardless of how spiritual, religious, moral or pure we are. Innocence of our soul only comes through the forgiveness of Jesus Christ.
Because of Jesus I echo the words of the Psalmist. I can’t wait to see your face my Father! You are all I want to see. The hope of seeing your face is all that keeps me going!
PRAYER: Father, I thank you for the innocence I have gained through your Son, Jesus Christ. Because of him I look forward to seeing you. Amen.
Those who rush to other gods bring many troubles on themselves. I will not take part in their sacrifices; I will not worship their gods. Psalm 16:4 (GNT)
Several years ago I attended the same church as a State Trooper for the state I lived in at that time. This guy was huge, make no mistake about it. I’m guessing he was about 6’ 8” tall and close to 350 pounds. From the looks of him there wasn’t an inch of fat on him. He was all muscle. His facial features were deceiving. Tom (I’ll call him) was the kindest, most compassionate person I’d ever met. He had a heart for Jesus and a heart for people. That love of people was the driving force behind his career choice.
Tom worked in the children’s ministry with his wife. I never saw him get upset. Never saw any anger in his eyes. Never saw any personality traits that would match his stern expression…except once.
Tom and I were standing in a group having coffee after services. One person in the group made an innocent, off hand remark about how there was a speed trap out on the interstate on his way to church.
Tom looked him square in the eye and said, “That wasn’t a speed trap. Traps are for not intended for innocent people, only guilty ones. The innocent have nothing to worry about.”
There was a very noticeable pause in the group and discussion suddenly changed to the Huskers game the day before!
Tom’s point was well-taken. The innocent don’t need to worry about ‘being caught’. If you never lie, cheat or steal you will never be accused of being dishonest. If you never drink, you will never get drunk. If you never open yourself to the opportunity of an affair you will never be caught in infidelity. If you never look at pornographic images you will never have your mind contaminated by their poison.
The world is full of many gods (note the small ‘g’) that promise wealth, success and happiness. God’s that offer us status and power. Only one God promises us inner peace in the present and eternal life after death. That God (note the capital ‘G”) is the God of Genesis; the God of Creation; the Father of Jesus Christ.
When struggles attack ask yourself, is this a natural consequence of following a god of hopelessness or a test of your faithfulness. Only one God promises that we will never have to be ‘caught in the trap’ intended for the guilty.
PRAYER: Lord thank you for your promise of inner peace and eternal life. Forgive me for following the gods of this world. Empower me with your Spirit to follow after you. Amen.
They do not respect hateful people but honor those who honor the Lord. They keep their promises to their neighbors, even when it hurts. (NCV)
All of us regret decisions we have made from time to time. Sometimes those decisions involve finances. Sometimes they involve decisions based on passion. They almost always affect relationships either negatively or positively.
A friend of mine tells the story of a vision he had for a business. He prayed about the idea and felt in his heart that he had the go ahead to pursue the venture. The one stumbling point was money. He approached his father with the idea and they both prayed and contemplated the idea. It seemed good to them so his father put up money from the equity in his house as well as some retirement account to join in the venture.
Then, the inevitable happened. The economy crashed and my friend lost his business. That, however, wasn’t the worst of it. As a result of his business failure, both he and his father lost their homes as well as the small amount his father had in a retirement account.
“Looking back,” my friend tells me, “We both had some apprehension about the idea but for some reason we decided to go ahead with the plan.”
The situation caused some real strains on the relationship my friend had with his father for several weeks. However, in the course of that difficult time financially, his Dad never once placed all the blame on my friend.
“In the course of our conversations we forgave each other for not listening a little closer to the Spirit. We both admitted to each other, and our God, that our ‘answer to prayer’ may have been our own human voice and not the voice of God and reason. Still, Dad and I maintained a good relationship even during the strained times.”
That story, difficult as it is, reminds me of the verse in Psalm 15. A man of God keeps his promises even when the results cause him hurt. He doesn’t keep them because they benefit him; he keeps them because they honor the Lord.
That principle should guide each of us in our financial dealings, our dealings in our jobs, and in all our relationships. My friend learned a painful and valuable lesson to listen carefully to the Spirit’s voice. But he learned another valuable lesson from his earthly father.
A promise is a promise. Period. If we think about it, isn’t that what our Heavenly Father does for us every day? We get up in the morning and promise not to engage in road rage…until we are cut off in traffic. We promise not to listen to the vulgar jokes at work…until we enter the break room. We promise not to snap at our family…until we can’t find the remote. We promise God that we’ll get up early in the morning to spend time with him…until the alarm rings.
Regardless of how many promises we break, our Heavenly Father keeps his promises to us. Even when it hurts him. He promises to love us, to walk by our side, to forgive us and a whole list of other promises. His promises are based on his ability to keep them, not on our ability to keep ours.
PRAYER: Father I praise you for your patience with me. I praise you for the fact that even though I can’t keep my promises, you always keep yours. Help me to show that kind of faith and patience with those around me that continually break their promises so that your name will be glorified. Amen.
Lord, who may enter your Holy Tent? Who may live on your holy mountain? Psalm 15:1 (NCV)
You see the signs everywhere. The wording may vary, but the message is the same. Restricted Access. Employees Only. Authorized Personnel Only. No Admittance. All ways of saying that unless you have the right credentials, you are not welcome to enter a particular area.
My son and I went to a neighboring city one day to hear a famous comedian. Just so happens that this comedian married a woman from a church my dad pastured. I knew this guy before he was famous! Our family knew him as a goofy guy who loved Jesus and had a fantastic ministry to youth. I was excited to hear him and excited for my son to meet him.
As we entered the arena where he was to speak to approximately 20,000 men I had an idea. I approached the first security person and explained that I was a family friend of this person and hadn’t seen him in years. My parents knew he was there too and I just wanted to pass a note that I’d hastily written to him.
The guard looked at me warily but took the note and disappeared down a hall. A few minutes later he returned with a smile and welcomed me to follow him. I wasn’t met with a handshake. I was met with a hug. It was only minutes to show time so our conversation was short. However, he turned to his ‘body-guard’ and said, “Make sure these guys get good seats.”
We were ushered down yet another hallway and emerged in front of the stage. We were then escorted to two seats in the front row! The guys we’d traveled with were many rows back, but because of my relationship with this guy, I got preferential treatment!
In Old Testament times, very few people had a personal relationship with God. All of their communication with him was done through a priest.
The Psalmist asks the question, “Who may enter your Holy Tent?” The answer then was a few priests who would pass on your ‘note’ to the King of Kings. The answer today? You can! The forgiveness Jesus offers as a result of the cross and empty tomb allows you access to the most inner thoughts of God. You don’t need a priest. You don’t need a particular set of rules and words. You need only to accept Christ’s forgiveness.
I needed permission to access my famous friend, but the writer to the Hebrews tells us we can approach him with confidence because of Jesus. With Jesus by our side we can enjoy the presence of his Father for all eternity. “What a fellowship, what a joy divine, leaning on the everlasting arms; what a blessedness, what a peace is mine, leaning on the everlasting arms.”
PRAYER: Father God, I thank you that through your son Jesus I can come before you with complete assurance that you will accept me with open arms. I praise you for the fact that I don’t need a priest; I don’t need a set of rules to be accepted because you accept me as I am. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 