Growth

Result Not Replacement

When people ask me about what my parents did right, one thing that I often tell them is that they always made it clear that they loved me and they always made it clear that there were certain expectations for my behavior and if I violated those standards, I would be punished. I never thought that because they loved me, they wouldn’t punish me. I never thought because they punished me, they didn’t love me. They held the truths of their love and their discipline in tension, and passed on that understanding to me.

Not only was this great parenting, but it was an excellent mirror of the way that God treats His children. As Psalm 89:31-33 reminds us:

if they violate my statues and do not keep my commandments, then I will punish their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes, but I will not remove from him my steadfast love or be false to my faithfulness.

In other words, our actions don’t change the truth of Who God is. In the preceding verses, it is clear that despite David’s descendants’ future transgressions, God would remain faithful to the covenant He made. Similarly those that are His children by putting repenting and putting their faith in Jesus Christ, He loves, and He will discipline. Discipline is a result of His love, not a replacement for it.

Let those we are His rejoice then –  even when we are the subject of the Lord’s discipline, we are still the object of His love.

 

Why is it important to remember that discipline is a result of God’s love?

 

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Growth Hope

Confidence in God’s Choices

Confidence is a subject that we talk a lot about. We admire people with a lot of self-confidence and we want to nurture that same quality in our children. We discuss the confidence that we have in the stock market, the job market, or our political leaders. Confidence is important because without it, there is often anxiety and worry. Where we lack confidence is often the point of our failure.

Confidence is usually created because of what someone or something does. We have confidence in the stock market when it shows stable growth. We have confidence in our political leaders when they make policies that benefit our country. The action or activity precedes the expression of confidence. We hold that confidence just as long as the consequences for that actions seem beneficial. This is why politicians so carefully pander to their constituents; trust can be a fleeting thing.

Of course, there is One in whom we can always have confidence because we know that, unlike political leaders and economic policies, He is always the same. Even when things don’t seem to be working out according to His purpose, His children can be confident that they will. He is always faithful, always true to His Word.

This is what we see when we look at the lives of Shadrach, Mescach and Abednego who were true to God’s commands, because they had confidence that God would be true to Who He is.  They held this confidence regardless of whether God chose to rescue them from the fiery furnace. They knew He could, but even if He didn’t, they knew His purposes were being accomplished (Daniel 3:16-18).This consistent confidence in God became a testament not only to their faith, but to their God as well (Daniel 3:28).

It’s a great thing to have confidence in what God can do, but like the three amigos (as I like to call them), we need to also demonstrate our confidence in what God chooses. If we only focus on what He is able to do, we may be sorely disappointed when His plans fail to conform with ours. Instead, like  Shadrach, Mescach and Abednego we need to say that even if God doesn’t give us what we desire, we have confidence that His choice is better. Our confidence is not in the circumstance, but in Him.

 

How do you maintain your confidence in God even when circumstances are trying?

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