Reading from Sunday, October 17

Hey gang. I'm in Florida for the next couple nights doing some video work. It's awesome. On the flight down I listened to the latest sermon from ORB which was about Judgment. In the sermon, the pastor, Christian spoke about God's divine judgment. This is an aspect of God's character that I've had a lot of trouble accepting. If you were around for the Midianite thing, you know what I mean. But this sermon put the idea of God's judgment in a new way that I hadn't considered before: that basically God loves his people so fiercely that he will:

1) Defend them just as fiercely if they are threatened 

2) Correct them when they are acting foolish

He gave two examples. For number 1 - he asks the listener to picture a grandmother holding a new grandson in her arms. How gingerly and softly she hold him, but also how this same grandmother can become a violent defender of that child if his life is threatened. 

The second example was an obvious one - kids who are not corrected by their parents. Spoiled kids. Parents who never want their children to experience pain or frustration or sadness will spoil their children and then they turn out to be awful human beings. However, if they are brought up with punishment and correction when it is appropriate, they will (more likely) become well adjusted folks. 

There's much more to it than that, and I would really encourage you to take a listen if you get a minute.

Reading for October 17

Jeremiah 30:1-31:26

OK, I think this is what my pastor was getting at. While God's judgment may be one of the most terrifying things a human could think of, it is clear that he is doing it out of love. "Hurts him more than it hurts us" kind of thing. I'm basing this on these verses:

¹⁵ Why do you cry out over your wound,
       your pain that has no cure?
       Because of your great guilt and many sins
       I have done these things to you. 

¹⁷ But I will restore you to health
       and heal your wounds,'
       declares the LORD,
       'because you are called an outcast,
       Zion for whom no one cares.' 

²⁴ The fierce anger of the LORD will not turn back
       until he fully accomplishes
       the purposes of his heart.
       In days to come
       you will understand this.

You can clearly see here that God's anger is not knee jerk, freak out and regret it later kind of anger. This is metered, well intentioned, meticulously thought out scolding. He does these things not to punish us, but to correct us. 

1 Timothy 2:1-15

¹I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— ²for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. ³This is good, and pleases God our Savior, ⁴who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

A characteristic of God plainly revealed. God's desire is not that everyone will be punished - he wants everyone to believe in and worship him. And while that's selfish or not is yet to be determined, but you can't deny that it is good. Good for us and good for God.

Psalm 87:1-7

 ⁵ Indeed, of Zion it will be said,
       "This one and that one were born in her,
       and the Most High himself will establish her." 

Proverbs 25:18-19

 ¹⁸ Like a club or a sword or a sharp arrow
       is the man who gives false testimony against his neighbor.

 ¹⁹ Like a bad tooth or a lame foot
       is reliance on the unfaithful in times of trouble.

Sleep needed.