Tough Love Is Still Love

Greetings in the Lord!

Yesterday's and today's word comes from Jeremiah 44 and Hosea 11. It is a reminder to us that it is best to return to God instead of running away to avoid discipline or correction; even if the Lord just wants to "fine tune" your theology or how you relate to Him---be open to the move of the Lord in your life!
Jeremiah 44:12 "I will take away the remnant of Judah who were determined to go to Egypt to settle there...14) None of the remnant of Judah who have gone to live in Egypt will escape or survive to return to the land of Judah, to which they long to return and live..."
Hosea 11:3-5 "It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them. I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love; I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them. Will they not return to Egypt and will not Assyria rule over them because they will not repent?" V. 8) "How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel?...My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused...V.10-11) They will follow the Lord; He will roar like a lion. When he roars, his children will come trembling from the west. They will come trembling like birds from Egypt, like doves from Assyria. I will settle them in their homes," declares the Lord.

So what is all that saying to us? It is saying that God wants to correct us; to trim off the rough edges and cut away heart conditions and personal theologies that make us prone to following the ways of the world and ourselves instead of His commands. The word is also saying that many of us are resisting His purifying process by trying to run back to familiar, and more self-gratifying ways of relating to God. Oh, how we love prosperity, comfort, advancement, and 'feel-good' teachings! But the Lord will not let us return to "Egypt" to be "ruled by Assyria" No, now is the time to confess to the Lord and be purified by His consuming fire. The Lord will "roar" in your life, and we will come rushing back to Him! He will have His way and settle us again in His arms.

Praise God for His goodness and everlasting love...even His "tough love!"

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Intercessors, Cast Down the Betrayal!

Greetings in the Lord~ Well, a lot has happened since I've written last, but today is not for re-hashing, but to give a word from 3 different scriptures that call us to still pray and fast for our newly re-elected President, Donald Trump. First, from Mark 6:14-28 we read that Herod had John the Baptist killed because his wife, Herodias, ultimately bore a grudge against John.  First, she had him arrested for speaking against their marriage, then later killed at one of Herod's parties, after she seized the opportunity when Herod promised his daughter anything because of her mesmerizing dancing.  Herod himself, actually respected John a great deal, but could not recant his promise in front of his party guests. The second passage is from John 21:18-19, when Jesus gives Simon Peter the prediction of his death.  "I tell you the truth, when you were young, you were able to do as you liked; you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go.  But when you are old, you will s
Read more

Approved to Receive a Reward

Greetings in Christ! Today's scripture comes from 1 Corinthians 3:3-4:21, but because that is such a long passage, I will highlight some verses from that and will hope that some of you can study the whole passage on your own, as it is a good read and timely message. 3:10-15) "By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames. 4:5-6) Therefore, judge nothing before t
Read more

Fill the Cup of Mercy

Greetings in the Lord! Today when the Lord led me to read Lamentations chapter 1, my heart sank. Oh, how hard it is to give a mournful message to a nation that knows neither humility or shame. Selah. I pause here to let the Holy Spirit bring tears to your eyes to weep over the Word of the Lord today, for surely "the Lord loves a contrite and broken heart." V. 6-9 "All the splendor has departed from the Daughter of Zion. Her princes are like deer that find no pasture; in weakness they have fled before the pursurer. In the days of her affliction and wandering Jerusalem remembers all the treasures that were hers in days of old. When her people fell into enemy hands, there was no one to help her. Her enemies looked at her and laughed at her destruction. Jerusalem has sinned greatly and so has become unclean. All who honor her despise her, for they have seen her ness; she herself groans and turns away. Her filthiness clung to her skirts; she did not consider her future. Her f
Read more

Step Out and Signs Will Follow

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Mark 2:8-12 & Mark 16:19-20: "Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins..." He said to the paralytic, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they parised God, saying "We have never seen anything like this!" "After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it." (Mk. 16:19-20.) ~
Read more

Mathematics on Serving Christ

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from John 12:45-26~ "The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who s his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me." ~Much has been written this year already about the coming of revival to the nations of the earth, including our own, to be sure. Likewise, much has been preached about blessings and prosperity as well, especially in our nation. But once again, the Lord lays upon my heart a message of self-sacrifice and of a more balanced--and certianly less materialstic view--of blessings and prosperity. All week the Lord has been giving me scriptures and words in my private time with Him about the mystery of persecution. The Holy Spirit said, "You are blessed and highly favored when the Lord choses you to suffer for His namesake." Then today I was led to read from Philippian
Read more

Josiah Generation

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from 2 Kings 23:8-25~ "Josiah brought all the priests from the towns of Judah and desecrated the high places, from Geba to Beersheba, where the priests had burned incense. He broke down the shrines at the gates...He desecrated Topheth, which was in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, so no one could use it to sacrifice his son or daughter in the fire to Molech. He removed from the entrance to the temple of the Lord the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun....He pulled down the altars the kings of Judah had erected on the roof near the upper room of Ahaz, and the altars Manasseh had built in the two courts of the temple of the Lord...The king also desecrated the high places that were...built for Ashtoreth the vile goddess of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the vile god of Moab, and for Molech the detestable god of the people of Ammon....The king asked, "What is that tombstone I see?" The men of the city said, "It m
Read more

Our Hope is in You

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes to us as a teaching; for if you've been discerning in your spirit that you ought to pray for your country, the word from the Lord today will guide you. It comes from Jeremiah 14:19-22: "Have You rejected Judah completely? Do You despise Zion? Why have You afflicted us so that we cannot be healed? We hoped for peace but no good has come, for a time of healing but there is only terror. O Lord, we acknowledge our wickedness and the guilt of our fathers; we have indeed sinned against You. For the sake of Your Name do not despise us; do not dishonor Your glorious throne. Remember Your covenant with us and do not break it. Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? Do the skies themselves send down showers? No, it is You, O Lord our God. Therefore our hope is in You, for You are the One who does all this." ~Be blessed and be a blessing.
Read more