Psalm 136:26 “Give thanks to the God of Heaven, for His steadfast love endures forever.”

Years spent in the middle school classroom certainly sharpened my patience. Never did I count the number of questions pre-teens would ask in a day’s time, but I fear I could not tally that high. From the absurd, to the impossible, to the comical, their questions were relentless.

One day, a precious overachiever-of-inquiry held his hand in the air more than he held his pencil in his hand. So out of desperation, I walked over to him and quietly whispered, “I think you have just about reached your quota of questions for today. You have only two left. Make them count.” And with that, his hand went down.

Feeling a bit guilty over my waning patience, I phoned his mother for a full disclosure of the quota I had instituted upon her son that day. To my surprise, she laughed. Evidently a previous teacher, upon viewing this child’s school picture, had informed him he should have raised his hand in his photo so he would have a true likeness of himself. Honestly, I felt exonerated.

Oh, how blessed we are by a Heavenly Father who enforces no quotas! He offers patience and redemption in unlimited quantities. His demonstration of love and sacrifice for us defies understanding. His Spirit continually covers us with comfort and guidance. His deep well of grace never runs dry. Through all our failures, despite all our doubts, and amid our plethora of questions, God remains.

We will confront many quotas in life, but not when it comes to God. So as we count our blessings this Thanksgiving season, let us raise our hands in praise to the One whose love for us knows no bounds.

Father God, may we live in gratitude for the unlimited grace Your love provides.

Blessings,

Rita Cochrane

Everything costs more this year. That is a fact for which we brace ourselves whenever a new purchase is even considered. Imagine how delighted I was when I went to buy a few violas to make the backyard a little more colorful for the dreary winter ahead of us, and the price hadn’t gone up!

In the meantime, a friend told me about a clearance deal on a lovely climbing rose. Just the thing to replace two that we lost! But alas; the clearance price was only half the regular price, not enough of a bargain to justify purchasing one for each side of the arbor.

Even grocery shopping has changed a bit as we adjust to more economical choices, when they  even exist. But are we prone do doing a bit of spiritual “bargain hunting?” If we try that, it won’t end well….literally.

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, ‘If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it’” (Matthew 16:24, 25; KJV).

Serving Christ is an all-or-nothing proposition. We either serve Him, or we do not. A bargain shopping mentality will only land you on the left side in the judgment with the goats, as described in Matthew 25.

Some will argue that Jesus has different requirements for different people, as he required the rich young ruler to sell all that he had in addition to the general command for “any man” in Matthew 16 (Mark 10:21). Hopefully, we do not do this to get out of following Christ with everything we are and have; since this was the point of the whole account.

The rich young ruler had known and loved and followed the Scriptures from his youth. He was loved by Jesus; “Then Jesus, beholding him, loved him” (Mark 10:21a). Lots of love all around, but the complete commitment to God was, unfortunately, not there.

“Take up thy cross” can mean a lot of things, but there is one thing of which we can be certain; it will not be pleasant or easy. It’s not going to be like going to the garden center and shelling out half your grocery money for pretty flowering plants. There may be plenty of opportunities to “take time and smell the roses,” but there will be tough decisions and hard times also.

When we make the decision to follow Jesus, the decisions that follow day by day will reflect that decision – and the true price – of discipleship. We follow him no matter what, not just when it’s easy or pleasant. Cutting down my beautiful purple roses was hard, but they were infected with an incurable virus which could infect other roses in the neighborhood. Buying violas at bargain prices was easy and pleasant.

Once we understand this, we will understand this life and its struggles better, we will have a more secure anchor in eternity, and we will be more  pleasing to our Lord.

Christine (Tina) Berglund

Our lesson this week is taken from two of the Gospels, Matthew 4:12-25 and Luke 5:1-11. It is a simple miracle, but the miracle itself is not the source for the lessons we learn from this story.

Before the miracle is a revelation of facts gleaned from the book of Isaiah regarding the place where the prophesied Messiah would be found. Verses 15-16 are taken from Isaiah 9:1-2. If you look at a map of Palestine, you can see that the territory given to Zebulon and Naphtali when the land of Canaan was divided among the tribes named after the sons of Jacob. Ephraim and Manasseh were named for the sons of Joseph.

This passage in Isaiah describes the location where the Messiah would live for a time. Matthew says in verse 13 that He lived in Capernaum by the sea in the general territory of Zebulon and Naphtali. This area was predominately Gentile, inhabited by Egyptians, Arabians, and Phoenicians. This is historical information and not explained in the text.

These people were living in darkness (verse 16), meaning that they did not know or understand that this man, Jesus, was the promised Messiah. They had the prophecy, but they did not understand the meaning of it. This is also the place where Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

The accounts in Matthew and Luke differ somewhat in detail, but the end result is the same. Luke’s account gives us more detail thus revealing some interesting lessons for our consideration.

The crowd grew larger and larger as Jesus’ miracles and teachings preceded Him. The miracles were what drew people to Jesus, and we can understand that. It is the visible results that draw us to situations and to people. The teachings were secondary.

With the crowd pressing Jesus toward the Sea of Galilee, Jesus sees two boats. The fishermen are in the water washing their nets. They have fished all night, but their efforts did not bring about a positive result. They returned home empty. Tired from being up all night and working to get their equipment ready for the next trip out, they are probably paying little attention to the crowd and this stranger who is speaking to them. Suddenly the stranger boards Simon Peter’s boat and tells him to “Put out into the deep and let down the nets.” Peter explains that there are no fish biting. He knows because they have been out there all night with no success. But look at what he says. “But at your word I will let down the nets.” There is no argument; only complete compliance. Immediately, the nets were filled with fish. There were so many, in fact, that the nets began to break. Andrew must have been with Peter because verse 7 says, “They signaled to their partners.” They needed help, and the response came quickly. Both boats were filled with fish. There were so many that their boats began to sink. Peter was so overcome that he fell to his knees and told the Lord, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”

It would seem that Peter realized the power of God, that God had intervened in this situation; and Jesus was the deliverer of that power. He felt he was a sinner, and he wanted to disassociate himself as quickly as possible. Jesus recognized this fear, and told him not to be afraid. His new assignment would be to catch men.

The fishermen brought their boats back to shore, left everything, and followed Jesus. How remarkable is that! On the basis of this miracle, four men left their business and followed after a man they hardly knew, having no idea what their lives would be like in the immediate future, much less the distant future.

We learn some valuable lessons from this incredible story. Ordinary men, with ordinary jobs, find greatness in a most unusual place. Doing their daily routine, they found the basis for a life of service to the Lord. Our daily routines are filled with opportunities to serve the Lord. A trip to the bank, the doctor, the market, a meeting with a stranger can all provide us with opportunities to talk about our faith, give an invitation to worship, pray for someone in need, or learn of a need we might be able to meet.

Peter took a leap of faith when he obeyed Jesus and took the boat out into the water after an unprofitable night of fishing. The Lord knew how to get his attention. He used his job to show him a new way of life. Though we do not have miracles today, we should be ready to recognize opportunities as they come to us.

Peter identified himself as a sinful man. How quick are we do identify our sins, our failures, and our weaknesses? It is hard to accept our weaknesses, but the fact is that we all have them.

All four of these men accepted the invitation to “catch men.” They had no idea what that meant at the time, but they would be given more opportunities than they could imagine to teach and be fishers of men.

When Matthew tells this story, he leaves out the details. One thing he does say that Luke omits is that James and John, the owners of the other boat, “left the boat and their father and followed him.”

There is a lesson in that for us. Sometimes, it takes leaving family to follow Jesus. Let me give you an example. I know a lady who is as faithful as anyone in her attendance to worship. She believes in the Bible, in God, that Jesus is God’s Son; but she is not a Christian. The reason is that her father is a member of a denomination. She knows he is wrong in his belief, but she refuses to acknowledge that she is living in sin. Though she was baptized years ago, she was baptized in the denomination. Only she and God know her heart when it comes to her baptism; but even if she felt she was being baptized for the forgiveness of her sins, she has not worshiped in the right way. She needs to repent and acknowledge that this denomination is in error. In Matthew 10, Jesus speaks to the people about persecution that is to come. In verse 37 Jesus says, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” Loving anyone or anything in this world more than God will prevent us from being with Him in eternity.

We can learn much from these few verses. The important thing is to apply these truths to our own lives.

FOR DISCUSSION: WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THE LESSON?

1. How important is it that Luke includes the verses from Isaiah concerning where Jesus would live and teach?
2. How has faith played a part in your putting God first?
3. How would you work with someone who refuses to give up their “religion” even though they know it is wrong?
4. How long does it take for us to acknowledge that we are sinners?
5. What comparisons do you see between physical fishing and fishing for men?

Have you ever gotten frustrated trying to get ahold of someone when you’re in need? Maybe it was someone in authority or someone who was meant to help fix a problem. Or you tried to reach your boss but there was no direct line. Or something broke in your house and you had a hard time reaching someone to come fix it. We have a direct line to God and we know that, but do we pray only when we are in need?

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of truth” (1 Tim. 2:1-4).

THE PRAYERS

In this passage, there are four different kinds of prayers that God wants us to pray. A supplication is an urgent request to meet a need exclusively addressed to God. These are the times we need mercy, forgiveness, help, etc. A prayer is any petition addressed to God, the generic act of prayer. These are the times we are just talking to God. An intercession is formally asking God to intervene. Thanksgiving is expressing gratitude.

THE RESULTS

Paul urges us to pray these prayers for all people, for everyone! Specifically, we are to pray for kings and all who are in high position, anyone who has authority over us. This includes our local government, federal government, the president, police officers, our boss, etc. This may be difficult at times, but how often do we think to pray for everyone? It’s easy for me to remember to pray for myself and those I love. It takes mindfulness to pray for everyone. By doing this, “we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” Doesn’t a peaceful life sound good right about now? Godly and dignified, that’s how I want to be.

THE REASONS

“This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior” (v. 3). God wants everyone to be saved and to know the truth.

How often do you call home or call your parents to tell them you love them, you’re thankful for them, or to ask them for help or guidance? I once heard a preacher say, “Your Father is up in heaven. Have you phoned home?”

By Chelsea Pollard

John 16:30 “Now we can see that you know all things. . .” 

Grandchildren had departed and restoring order to the house was imminent, so I whipped everything back into place except the bunk room. If you have ever owned bunk beds, you know making them requires some pretty advanced acrobatic and contortion skills. Only a beloved few are allowed to sleep on that top bunk. (not that others would want to) But if they did, my reply would probably be, “Sorry, I don’t love you enough for that!”

Then, I consider the love of Jesus.

As part of the God-head creators of the universe, Jesus dwelt forever in paradise long before “forever” was a word. Surrounded by the love of the Father and Spirit, His home was all the glory of heaven; far beyond the realm of human imagination.

Then love changed it all.

Jesus left heavenly perfection for earthly hardships as He entered the womb of a woman to humbly began His mortal journey. Jesus worked with His hands. He experienced hurts, ills and fatigue. His heart felt the sorrows of human loss and grief. Jesus was in every way human, yet completely divine.

Before leaving heaven, the details of His earthly journey were laid open, as if a book read to completion. Despite unspeakable tragedies seen in each chapter, Jesus still chose humanity.

Yes, Jesus could see it all. Have you ever considered what His omniscient thoughts might have been during creation?

On Day One as new light filled the dark expanse, did Jesus consider while on earth He would be the Light in a dark World?

On the Second Day as the hand of God stretched forth placing clouds in the sky, did Jesus think of the evil that would cause these very clouds to open up and flood all creation?

On Day Three as the earth came alive with hues of green, did Jesus consider how these glorious, oxygen-generating, sheltering trees would produce a cruel cross He would be forced to carry to His death?

As the God-head placed the sun, moon, and stars in the sky on Day Four, was there a thought to the brightest of these stars-creations one day announcing His earthly birth?

On the Fifth Day of creation as fish filled the waters, did Jesus foresee His closest friends abandoning their fishing boats to follow Him, only to abandon Him later in betrayal?

And, as man emerged from the dust of the ground to breathe in life, did Jesus consider how this beloved creation, made in His Father’s image, would all at some point betray the Creator?

Sisters, amazingly, in spite of His omniscient power to see every tragic step ahead, never once did Jesus utter my bunk bed quote, “Oh no. I don’t love you enough for that!”

Father God, human words and thoughts cannot fathom the depth of omniscient love.

Blessings,

Rita Cochrane

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A Lesson From the Life of David

For the past month, I’ve been studying the life of King David. While David may be famously known for slaying the giant Goliath or committing adultery with Bathsheba and trying to cover it up, his words in 2 Samuel 24 stuck with me. After David disobeyed God by numbering the people (2 Samuel 24:1-9), Gad, a prophet of the Lord and David’s seer, came to the king with a message from God, giving him three options of punishment (2 Samuel 24:11-13). David answered Gad and said, “Let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hand of man” (2 Samuel 24:14).

Matthew 10:28 immediately came to mind. God gives righteous judgment to all. Any punishment we receive is rightly given. God’s punishment is still far more merciful than what man can do to us. David, I believe, understood the unconditional love and mercy God has for us, which is why God’s just punishment is far better than anything man could ever do to us (Psalm 145:8-9). Judgment is no stranger to our culture today. Sometimes we give it, and other times, we receive it. Most times, we don’t have all the facts needed to make the right judgment call, but God does. He has all the facts, and when the time comes, He will make the right judgment call for each individual (Romans 2:2).

Brittani Kemp

How are we living our lives; are they obedient, disobedient or indifferent? If we are living our lives for Christ and His church, we are living an obedient (hot) life. If we are living a lukewarm life, we are not living our lives for Christ. We are trying to live for Christ and for the devil at the same time, but this is impossible. If we are living cold lives, we are living of the world, and we have little or no interest in serving Christ. We are children of the devil. Now, of course, there are those of the world looking for the truth. I believe those who are truly looking for Christ and His church will find it. We can only live one of these aspects of life at a time.

If we are living lives that are hot, we are truly trying to be the best Christians we know. We are studying (2 Timothy 2:15), praying (1 Thessalonians 5:17), doing good deeds (Galatians 6:10), setting the right example for others (1 Timothy 4:12), keeping our temper under control (Proverbs 14:29) and are kind to others (Ephesians 4:32). There are so many other things we could add to this list.

We can learn much from Matthew 6:21-24, which reads:

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

Our next point is lukewarmness. Can we be true and faithful Christians trying to live lukewarm lives? In Revelation 3:14-19, we are told of the church at Laodicea. It was a lukewarm congregation of the Lord. It was a church that was apathetic and indifferent. What do these words mean? According to Webster’s dictionary, “apathetic” is “showing or feeling no interest, enthusiasm, or concern.” What is the meaning of “indifferent”? Also, according to Webster, “indifferent” is “showing or feeling no interest, enthusiasm, or concern.” If someone were asked about the meaning of these words and did not know their meaning, then, he might answer like this: “I do not know, and I do not care.” They would demonstrate the right meaning of those words without any knowledge of their definitions. Unfortunately, this is the kind of attitude people have today. If we are like the Laodiceans, we would be considered lukewarm. God told them He would vomit them out of His mouth. God will do this today with those of us who are lukewarm. Do we really want to live lukewarm lives?

Then there are those of us who live cold lives. What does this mean? It means that most who are living cold lives are the heathens of this world. It could be those of whom Galatians 5:19-21 speaks, living the works of the flesh. The Scripture says, “Those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Not all who are living cold lives are heathens of this world. These people are truly trying to live lives that they believe to be the Christian way of life. My heart aches for them, because even though they are trying to do good, they are not wholly following the Word of God. Yes, they are following some of the Scriptures. Here are some of the areas in which they are not obeying God’s Word.

• Using instruments in worship (Ephesians 5:19)
• Not being baptized into Christ for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38)
• Failing to assemble upon the first day of the week (Acts 20:7)
• Not giving of their means to support the church (1 Corinthians 16:1-2)
• Baptizing babies (Mark 16:16)

So, you see my Dear Christian Friends, we must work teaching our friends, schoolmates, fellow workers, acquaintances and all those around us. Jesus said in John 9:4, “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night comes, when no man can work.” Imitating our Lord, we need to work the opportunities that present themselves to us, or otherwise, opportunities and souls slip away. Our Lord expects us to bear fruit (Matthew 3:10). “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 7:19 NKJV). As you can see, we will be held accountable for not working when we had the opportunity.

Martha Lynn Rushmore

Ephesians 4:26 “Be angry and sin not. Let not the sun go down on your wrath.”

Guests were arriving for an extended stay, meaning I had to get my act in gear. The spare room required freshening, linen closets demanded organization, and the refrigerator screamed of a deep purge. Holding out the fridge till last, I drug the trashcan close in anticipation of tossing much of its contents. Items in front proved fresh and salvageable, but making my way to the dark recesses of the fridge, items became unrecognizable.

“Don’t open that lid,” I kept reminding myself. “You’ll be sorry!”

How was it possible for meals I once lovingly prepared to end up covered in green and purple slime? What was now overflowing our trashcan had definitely been kept well-past its shelf-life. Day by day, while no one was looking, bacteria grew and mold took over. Purging was necessary to avoid poisoning my family. So, out with the old to make room for the new.

Can anyone out there relate? (Please tell me I’m not the only one!)

Funny how our anger so emulates this scenario. Our anger can outlive its shelf life when we push it into the dark recesses of our hearts, allowing it to remain. Old anger turns toxic, making us ill. And like mold that renders our food unrecognizable and disgusting, anger produces an ugly version of ourselves. At this point, purging is necessary to make room for what is good: forgiveness, peace, and love.

But, anger can be constructive and void of sin. Godly anger over injustices can rally us to restructure broken relationships, lives, and societies. However, if we analyze our anger, how much godliness would we find? Truthfully, when it comes to holding a grudge, some of us church-going women can brag gold-medal status. We can continue stewing over an incident, a run-in, or a conversation until the cows come home. (I really have no idea exactly how long that is, but I understand from my grandmother it’s a long, long time!) As the sun goes down, we have succeeded in stewing ourselves into full blown anger, our stomach is in knots, and our sleep evades us.

Sound familiar? Paul offers noteworthy advice in his book to the Ephesians with, “Let not the sun go down on your wrath.”  The scripture speak truth: anger left too long unchecked will spoil, poisoning our bodies and souls. So Sisters, let’s address our anger with mercy and grace while the sun still shines. Paul’s wise advice just might lead us to our most peaceful solution.

Father God, may we look for constructive ways to deal with our anger. May we use godly anger to call us to changes that glorify You.

When the people of God fail to keep their part of the covenant He has made with them by falling into sin, God disciplines them with the rod of men. Many accounts in the Old Testament Scriptures – given for our learning (Romans 15:4) – show this very pattern.

For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. “When you beget children and grandchildren and have grown old in the land, and act corruptly and make a carved image in the form of anything, and do evil in the sight of the Lord your God to provoke Him to anger, I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that you will soon utterly perish from the land which you cross over the Jordan to possess; you will not prolong your days in it, but will be utterly destroyed. And the Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord will drive you. And there you will serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell. But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Deuteronomy 4:24-29 NKJV)

The Israelites were by no means in the same position as God’s children today, especially because of their perpetual disobedience and always hardening their hearts’ (Hebrews 3; 4). In fact, most never seem to have been converted in the first place. The Lord showed the beginning of His warning in a pattern that occurred perpetually in the book of Judges. There, the people fell away, cried to the Lord and were delivered – over and over. We see the same pattern occurring throughout Israel’s 1,620-year history. The people fell away to sin, were oppressed, cried to the Lord and were delivered.

• Judges 3:9 – “When the children of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the children of Israel, who delivered them: Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother.”

• Judges 3:15 – “But when the children of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for them: Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man. By him the children of Israel sent tribute to Eglon king of Moab.”

• Judges 4:3 – “And the children of Israel cried out to the Lord; for Jabin had nine hundred chariots of iron, and for twenty years he had harshly oppressed the children of Israel.”

• Judges 6:6 – “So Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord.”

• Judges 6:7-8 – “And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried out to the Lord because of the Midianites, that the Lord sent a prophet to the children of Israel, who said to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel: I brought you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of bondage.’”

• Judges 10:10 – “And the children of Israel cried out to the Lord, saying, ‘We have sinned against You, because we have both forsaken our God and served the Baals!’”

• Judges 10:15 – “And the children of Israel said to the Lord, ‘We have sinned! Do to us whatever seems best to You; only deliver us this day, we pray.’”

Even though Deborah was greatly honored by God because of her leadership and judgment during this time, it certainly was no honor to the people of Israel that their leader was a woman. We see in several passages that it was a sign of God’s keen displeasure when a woman ruled over them.

• Isaiah 3:11-12 – “Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, For the reward of his hands shall be given him. As for My people, children are their oppressors, And women rule over them. O My people! Those who lead you cause you to err, And destroy the way of your paths.”

• Isaiah 3:4 – “I will give children to be their princes, And babes shall rule over them.”

In the New Testament, we see a better pattern with better promises. Jesus said in Revelation 3:19, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.” Affliction and chastening are not signs of God’s anger, but rather of His love. God showed a similar love to one man in the Old Testament. Not only did God greatly love David and richly bless his faithful children, but He also saw something excellent in David’s son Solomon. Even before he became king, He gave him a promise second only to God’s children in the New Testament.

I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever. According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David. (2 Samuel 7:14-17)

God promised to be a father to Solomon and to deal with him as a son. This is the same special promise we find in the New Testament for God’s children (Hebrews 12:5-12). Solomon did go astray, even to the point of worshipping idols (1 Kings 11:1-6). God had warned His kings that if they multiplied wives to themselves, the wives were liable to turn their hearts from Him (Deuteronomy 17:17). As we know, Solomon, in all his wisdom, made the mistake of multiplying wives and paid for it. However, as God had promised David, He did not remove His steadfast love from Solomon. The book of Ecclesiastes must have been written toward the end of his life, for he testified to what he did throughout his life. God granted him understanding, and when he considered, not only his sin, but also the vanities of his life, he repented and turned to God.

Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, For my heart rejoiced in all my labor; And this was my reward from all my labor. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done And on the labor in which I had toiled; And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun. Then I turned myself to consider wisdom and madness and folly; For what can the man do who succeeds the king? – Only what he has already done. (Ecclesiastes 2:10-12)

Solomon ended his life, understanding that man’s full duty is to fear God and keep His commandments. God wants all of His children, even if they go astray for a while, to have this understanding. Jesus knows that His children will not only make mistakes, but they also sin. Yet, He chastens and rebukes them to turn them back to the paths of righteousness. He promises never to leave nor forsake us if we will seek Him with all of our hearts and souls (Hebrews 13:5). What a wonderful Lord with so many great and precious promises so that we can be partakers of His divine nature (2 Peter 1:3-4)!

God chastened His people and caused them much pain, and yet, He was faithful to restore them to Himself as soon as they repented. What better example could we have for what is happening in the church and in our nation today than to read such accounts from God’s Word. Truly, He is merciful and just in His dealings with the children of men. Shall we learn from these accounts so that we are not totally destroyed? “He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, Will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy” (Proverbs 29:1). “O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your wrath, Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure!” (Psalm 38:1).

Beth Johnson