And God Promises

Do you recall yesterday how God promised to punish the Babylonians for the evil they did in attacking his people?

Well, today's reading sees God promising his people that he will again restore them.

Hear God's word to his people through his prophet:

For behold, days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will restore the fortunes of my people, Israel and Judah, says the LORD, and I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall take possession of it."

God promises that this will happen, and we know that when God makes a promise...it happens. :)

God tells his people that "Alas! That day is so great there is none like it; it is a time of distress for Jacob; yet he shall be saved out of it." God will save his people, and when he does "But they shall serve the LORD their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them."

God will save his people. God will be worshipped by his people. God will raise up for them a good leader.

Isn't that cool?

Think about it for a moment. How often do we punish our children for wrongdoings, and fail to tell them that good will come at the end of it?

God is our example here. He chastises his people, but always with the intent of making their relationship with each other better. God wants the best for his people. And the better their relationship with him, the better life goes for them. He promises us good things over and over and over again.... and all we have to do is worship him and serve him wholeheartedly.

We need to follow God's example. We need to show people how much we care about their relationship with God. We need to let them know that the only way to have things truly go right with them is to have a right relationship with God. That's way Christian parents (when I say that, I mean parents who are truly believers and seek after God with their whole hearts) discipline their children...through having a good relationship with their parents, children learn to have a good relationship with God.

This is the longing of my heart. That as I parent my son, that I am able to show him the goodness and rightness of loving and knowing God. That having the right relationship with God is better, far better than anything else this world has to offer. For indeed it is.