27 June 2016 - remember me

[ Today's Readings ]

I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes.

He doesn't do this because he is mean.

My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor be weary when reproved by him.
For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives (see Hebrews 12:5-6).

He does it because he loves us.

But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world (see First Corinthians 9:27).

He is a God who refuses to be distant from us even when he sees us ruining our own lives. When he sees us acting in ways which are self-destructive he loves us too much to stand aside and watch. This is not the distant watchmaker-type God, running the universe while disinterested in his creatures. He gets in our business because he loves us and because we do such a poor job without his help.

Sometimes it is tough love. Sometimes he has to pull out the supports that serve only to enable our bad behavior.

Flight shall perish from the swift,
and the strong man shall not retain his strength;
The warrior shall not save his life,
nor the bowman stand his ground;
The swift of foot shall not escape,
nor the horseman save his life.
And the most stouthearted of warriors
shall flee naked on that day, says the LORD.

He is calling us to put him first. And if we have swiftness, strength, and skill, we might well feel self-sufficient. But this is the illusion of which we must need to be cured. Our dependance on him is what we desperately need to recognize.

But Jesus answered him, “Follow me,
and let the dead bury their dead.”

He has to come before even home and family. Home and family are great. They are his design. But if they serve as a buffer against our dependance on him they become idols. When everything is picture perfect we should thank the LORD. But oftentimes we forget him instead. If we remember his blessings in thanksgiving he won't have to remind us as frequently that he himself is the source of all blessing. 

Remember, he disciplines he whom he loves! Today let us recognize the corrections he is calling for in our lives. Let us remember he, especially in the way he specifically asks.