Daily PresenceSample

Growing up I required lots of discipline. I was a typical boy that liked to push the boundaries of the rules at times and more often than not ended up punished for it (most of it well deserved). I remember my mother saying, “do you think I enjoy punishing you? Of course not, it is very hard for me and I would rather not have to do it.” That stuck with me and I don’t think I fully understood the concept until I became a parent myself.

God has entrusted us with our children to raise up the right way. The only way to do that involves setting them straight when they are on the wrong path. Punishment is necessary for them to see the wrong and make the right choice the next time. We all know how detrimental it can be to live life with no consequences, so God has specifically tasked us with understanding and living with the consequences of our actions.

While our spiritual lives aren’t wrought with physical spankings, or being grounded from the TV or our favorite video game systems, they are not without consequences for our actions.

After the destruction of Israel at the hand of their enemies, we find Israel a broken people. Their cities and temples had been destroyed, their very lives taken from them. Everything they knew had been turned upside down. Lamentations chapter 1 says, “Jerusalem sinned grievously; therefore she became filthy; all who honored her despise her, for they have seen her nakedness; she herself groans and turns her face away.” This is not new to our reading of scripture. God had expectations for his people that they ultimately could not meet on their own. They fell in and out of his graces time and time again. It was a vicious cycle that continued until the day Jesus laid down his life for ALL of us. Let us remember today that he made a way where there was no way. He bridged the gap between us and God. Our shortcomings no longer stand in the way, instead he stands in their place. Praise God for that!