GOD CHASTENS US
Deuteronomy 8:2-5
Now you shall remember the whole way the Lord your God led you in the desert, to deal harshly with you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He dealt harshly with you and weakened you with hunger, and fed you with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word proceeding from the mouth of God man shall live. Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your feet become callused these forty years. You should know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the Lord your God chastens you.
Personal Challenge
Why does God chasten those He loves? If you have ever been a parent, you will have a better understanding of this question. As parents, we love our children. We love them more than life itself. And when it becomes necessary to teach them valuable life lessons, it sometimes takes hard lessons. Lessons that often require chastening and discipline. I never did understand it as a child when my parents would tell me that this discipline hurt them more than it hurt me until I had to discipline one of my own children. When we love someone so much that we allow them to learn a hard lesson the hard way, it hurts. We do chasten, or discipline, those whom we love. And if we choose not to make these tough choices we end up harming our children more than the discipline itself. If we do this as human parents, then it is understandable that God does it to those whom He loves as well. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!
A FAITHFUL GOD
Deuteronomy 7:9-10
Therefore know, the Lord your God, this God, is a faithful God, who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments; and He repays those who hate Him to their face, to destroy them. He will not be slack with those who hate Him; He will repay them to their face.
Encouraging Words
God is faithful to us, even when we are not faithful to Him. He always keeps His promises and covenants, no matter what we do, or don't do. He is our righteous redeemer and loves us to the very end. Glory be to God!
FEARING GOD
Deuteronomy 5:29
Would they had such a heart in them so as to fear Me and guard My commandments all the time, that it might be well with them and their sons forever.
Personal Challenge
Fear can be such an emotional and temporary thing. When God desires that we fear Him, it is not that He wants us to be afraid of Him. He is not some mean and vindictive overlord that angrily punishes us for our mistakes. The fear that is being called for is respect, a desire to please our benefactor, awe in that one who is so much greater than us and even cares about us, let along loves us. This is how God wants us to fear Him. And what will God do when we get to that place? He will make it well with us and the generations that come behind us. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!
Saint of the Week
St. Theophan the Recluse
MERCIFUL GOD
Deuteronomy 4:31
for the Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not forsake you nor annihilate you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers, which He swore to them.
Encouraging Words
Our God is a merciful God. He is pure love and that love is directed toward us, the peak of His creation. He promises to never forsake us or eliminate us. He made a covenant with our forefathers and will never renege on that promise. He treats us as His children. Glory be to God.
BEARING OUR SINS
Numbers 18:1-3
Now the Lord spoke to Aaron, saying, “You and your sons and your father's house with you shall bear the sins of the holy things, and you and your sons with you shall bear the sins of your priesthood. You shall also bring your brethren, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, to yourself, and they shall be joined and added to you, and minister liturgically with you and your sons with you before the tabernacle of testimony. They shall perform your guard duties and the duties of the tabernacle, but they shall not come near the holy vessels and the altar, lest they die—they and you also.
Encouraging Words
In the Old Testament covenant, God set up a system of forgiveness of sins that continually pointed to the coming of His son and the establishment of the New Testament covenant. The sons of Aaron were designated to be the priests of the nation and they would bear the sins of the people as they would perform their priestly duty. However, even though they were set apart and doing the priestly duties bestowed upon them by God, they still could not enter into the holy of holies, God's dwelling place. When Jesus became the ultimate bearer of the sins of the people, He was now able to take our sins into the holy of holies for permanent forgiveness and cleansing. Glory be to God!
MERCIFUL GOD
Numbers 14:18
‘The Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth, taking away lawlessness, wrongdoings, and sins; but He would not cleanse the guilty by repaying the sins of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.’
Encouraging Word
Moses shows us that it is okay for us to remind God of His mercy towards us. It is not that God forgets, but it is really to remind ourselves of just how much mercy God pours out on us every moment of our lives. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!
