Day 215, or August 3. Be gentle. I'm no match for you, God.
Our thoughts today are rooted in Jeremiah chapter 10 verse 24. Discipline me, Lord,
but only in due measure, not in your anger, or you will reduce me to nothing.
And now the big picture surrounding this verse. Today's verse is taken from Jeremiah's
third sermon to Judah, God's chosen people. He condemns them for hypocrisy and for their
worship simply being no more than mere words. It grieves the prophet so much that he actually
cries as he tells his fellow Jews that judgment is imminent. He takes no joy in giving them
this warning of coming judgment. He is as sad as the God he represents. In those ancient
days the idea of a God having such emotions was quite alien. None of the pagan gods would
have been sad when they enforced judgment on their nations. They would have been seen
as the all-conquering ruthless God. Our God, on the other hand, empathizes with us, shows
amazing patience, and in the end sends his only Son to live among us, and finally die
for us all.
And now today's action step. We tend to always ask God to be fair and pardon us when
we do wrong, but if He is fair we're in real trouble, especially when we repeat the
same old wrongs, give the same old excuses, and then sin all over again. We don't want
God to be fair, but loving and full of grace, so that we don't get our just desserts,
but are pardoned. That's exactly what is in the back of Jeremiah's mind, as he asks
God to correct him and keep him on the straight and narrow. Give me discipline, but make it
as gentle as possible. In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus tells us to pray words like this, forgive
us as we forgive others. So when we ask God to be gentle with us and to forgive us, we
must also bear in mind that we are to be the same with those who irritate us and wrong
us. If God does treat you like He treats others, are you in trouble? If so, you need to change
now.