Scripture text for Wednesday, January 13, 2010: Genesis 21:1-22:19
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As I prayed about this text I felt the Lord say this: even when we have repentant hearts and choose to turn from sin in our lives, we will still have to live with possible consequences when we make poor choices. I’m not a doom and gloom kind of person when it comes to interpreting scripture-I find it to be extremely uplifting in my life. But it’s not always warm fuzzies! Abraham knew God had a plan for his life, to give him a huge hope and a huge future-yet he listened to his wife Sarah and slept with her servant Hagaar instead of waiting on the Lord to give him a child with Sarah. Impatience cost him the opportunity to see his son grow as Ishmael and Hagaar were banished to the wilderness. Was Abraham able to see that God was with him and teaching him through those low moments… are we?
We are all God’s children so here’s how I picture it-River, my 3 year old, likes to play rough and he knows I don’t appreciate it. He’ll take his knight sword and wap me in the leg knowing it’s wrong. When I scold him he’ll turn on the tears and be very convincing in his regret, but I know that I must discipline out of love anyway-that there has to be consequences for his actions. If we went through life sinning against and apologizing to God and others without serious consequences our faith would be a joke. God disciplines us because he loves us-even when we turn on the tears. He knows that He must give consequences so that we’ll learn. He takes learning moments in our life to sharpen and refine us into His image. Ask Him today to open your heart to what He wants to teach you through His discipline and how it might refine your soul in a new way.
Devotion prepared by Becky Wellner