Friday July 6, 2012

Think about a difficult time you went through     recently and prayerfully consider what God was doing to grow you through that.

Then praise God for it.

 

Read Deuteronomy 32:36-52;  Hebrews 12:1-7

 

When God judges His people and punishes them it is not vindictive but rather restorative. What does that mean? Verse 36 captures the flavour well. God is the one who judges His people and has compassion on them. He is the one who slays them and brings them to healing. He is the one who disciplines the people and removes their false gods. He brings them to Himself through a process of discipline and punishment.

 

As believers in the glorious Lord Jesus Christ we should not see discipline as negative nor necessarily as for punishment of wrongs committed. While it could be for that reason, God disciplines us for our good and uses it to bring out the best in us. He transforms us and moulds us to be more like Christ through discipline. At times, it may be no different to an athlete being disciplined through strict and heavy training.

 

Every difficult and trying situation should be seen as a positive time in which God is teaching us, changing us and disciplining us for our own good. Consider such times as spiritual athletic training. God is pushing you hard so that you become spiritually fitter. It’s not what we go through that breaks us, it’s how we think about and perceive that situation.

 

Yet on the other side of God’s anger and wrath there is vindictive punishment. God will avenge the blood of His servants. He will take vengeance on His enemies. He will bring down those who refuse His Lordship and continue on their own self centred, self directed paths.  How great would it be if we could warn those people we know on such destructive paths and help them to see the Lord, repent and believe in Him.

 

Prayer:

¥ Pray that each and every single person in your congregation would have opportunity to share the love of Christ Jesus with non believers in their world. Pray that each believer would be strong and courageous and make the most of every opportunity.

¥ Pray that your church would grow as more people are converted to Christ Jesus through faith in Him. Pray that we would be rejoicing as people find eternal life in Christ.