IT IS OURSELVES WE HURT
But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. Prov. 8:36.
Another translation says, "He who finds me not, hurts himself" (N.E.B.) If you discover that you have a fatal disease, you seek a physician. If, instead, you decide that you don't need one, give yourself enough time and you no longer will need one. Many grieving widows have exclaimed ruefully that their spouses just wouldn't admit that they needed medical help--to their own destruction.
Our estrangement from God is causing us untold suffering. We are thirsty; He is the Water of Life. We are hungry; He is the Bread of Life. We are sick; He is the Great Physician. However, a very convincing liar, Satan, has made us wary of our wonderful God, saying things that are very misleading and downright wrong about Him. He says that when we sin, it makes God angry. That if we don't shape up, God will wipe us out. (And good riddance, too!)
If God were to be vindictive with anyone, certainly it would be to this perpetrator of falsehood. Instead, God acts with utmost integrity. No artificial shame is cast upon this archenemy. No arbitrary disciplines exacted. Looking on, we can even detect a definite courtesy being displayed on God's part toward this most unsavory foe.
God never changes. We have found ourselves born into the enemy cap. "Condemned!" Satan screams with hellish accuracy. But with infinite tenderness and careful language, God tells us the full story. He tells us how we have been born into a broken relationship with Himself, but that His feelings toward us have always been thoughts of peace and healing. "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare, and not evil, to give you a future and a hope" (Jer. 29:11, R.S.V.).
He tells us the truth about our condition. Our separation from Him damages us. God does not punish us by inflicting hurt. We are hurt as a natural consequence of our apartness from the One who is the most loving, caring, truthful, loyal, exciting, innovative, encouraging, et cetera, source of input into our lives. It only makes good sense to agree that He is absolutely correct and to confess our condition. Coming back into right relationship with Him (justification), we begin to experience the total healing that God so desires for us.
But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. Prov. 8:36.
Another translation says, "He who finds me not, hurts himself" (N.E.B.) If you discover that you have a fatal disease, you seek a physician. If, instead, you decide that you don't need one, give yourself enough time and you no longer will need one. Many grieving widows have exclaimed ruefully that their spouses just wouldn't admit that they needed medical help--to their own destruction.
Our estrangement from God is causing us untold suffering. We are thirsty; He is the Water of Life. We are hungry; He is the Bread of Life. We are sick; He is the Great Physician. However, a very convincing liar, Satan, has made us wary of our wonderful God, saying things that are very misleading and downright wrong about Him. He says that when we sin, it makes God angry. That if we don't shape up, God will wipe us out. (And good riddance, too!)
If God were to be vindictive with anyone, certainly it would be to this perpetrator of falsehood. Instead, God acts with utmost integrity. No artificial shame is cast upon this archenemy. No arbitrary disciplines exacted. Looking on, we can even detect a definite courtesy being displayed on God's part toward this most unsavory foe.
God never changes. We have found ourselves born into the enemy cap. "Condemned!" Satan screams with hellish accuracy. But with infinite tenderness and careful language, God tells us the full story. He tells us how we have been born into a broken relationship with Himself, but that His feelings toward us have always been thoughts of peace and healing. "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare, and not evil, to give you a future and a hope" (Jer. 29:11, R.S.V.).
He tells us the truth about our condition. Our separation from Him damages us. God does not punish us by inflicting hurt. We are hurt as a natural consequence of our apartness from the One who is the most loving, caring, truthful, loyal, exciting, innovative, encouraging, et cetera, source of input into our lives. It only makes good sense to agree that He is absolutely correct and to confess our condition. Coming back into right relationship with Him (justification), we begin to experience the total healing that God so desires for us.
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