Be In Peace
Friday's Devotion (5-4-07)
"For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth." Proverbs 3:12 (KJV)
The way people look at correction, or the way some people look at it I should say... Is totally wrong! Some look at correction as an act of hate, but that's not the case. They think that because you correct them you don't like them, or they think that you're insulting them. Correction, when made properly is out of love. When a mother or father tell their child not to cross the street without looking both ways, that's because they don't want their child to get ran over by a speeding car. The child should see that they correct them in that area because they love them, because they don't want them to get hurt or even killed. When the Lord corrects us, is it any different than the parent who doesn't want their child ran over? It's different only in one way: The Lord loves us even more than that parent who loves their child! So, really when the Lord corrects us we should be jumping up and down for joy. Because when He corrects us, He proves that He loves us!
As you can imagine we've received many prayer requests over the years here. I want to address one concern that I hear quite often, "I've done something so horrible that God could never forgive me, I don't think He even hears my prayers anymore." In that sentenced that I just quoted, you can actually find that God loves these people! First of all, He has revealed to them that what they've done was wrong. Secondly, He has brought them to repentance, He has brought them to a point where all that they want is Him! God does hear you loud and clear, and God has forgiven you! Be in peace and know that the Lord loves you.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this message and for all things. Please forgive us of all our sins as we forgive all those who've sinned against us. Help us to even forgive ourselves and not to condemn ourselves. Also, help us to see that your correction as well as the correction of those around us is because we are loved! And help us to correct those who need corrected out of love, and not out of anything else. In Jesus name. A-men!
God bless