Trivia:
The answer to the riddle of last week is Which five letter word will become shorter if you add another two letters to it? Way to go Becky the answer is short.
Challenge:
Psalm 2:5-7 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His deep displeasure: Yet I have set my King on my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, You are My Son, Today I have begotten You."
These verses are the third part of this Psalm in which God declares the new king of Israel as His Son in order to establish his reign under God. Zion is another name for the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
Then verse six sets for the record the position that He has given the nation of Israel as His son. This is spoken of in order to remind them of the Davidic covenant in which God promises His place of protection. This was given to us in 2 Samuel 7:14 "I will be his father, If he sins I will correct and discipline him with the rod, like any father would do."
We have been given this place of Sonship in our life for He is our God and we are His Son's. We have been made His child which means that He will recognize our disobedience and then correct us and then guide us back on the best way.
I remember our neighbor boy spending the week at our home as his Aunt & Uncle were away on business. His parents had been killed some years earlier in an auto accident, so his father's brother became his parent.
He was so happy to be in our home for he craved the union of parents & children. We children had disobeyed our parents and were deserving of discipline. Dad chose after correcting us to allow us to determine our punishment. We decided that our wrong was deserving of one swat.
Then we lined up to receive our punishment, and Greg got in line. When dad got to him he said Greg you don't have to be punished because you aren't guilty. I remember his saying, but I want to be Loved like that. You see after each swat dad & mom would give us a hug and be reminded of their love for us and that all was forgiven. Greg wanted that. To be loved and forgiven. He broke down and cried and begged to be punished so that he could be loved like a son. Finally after much discussion dad gave what could hardly be considered a swat and then Dad & mom hugged and reminded him of their forgiveness.
These verses remind me of that day when dad swatted Greg and then mom & dad hugged him and told him of their love for him and the fact that his parents if they could be there would love him in this same way, and forgive him of any wrong he had done.
I will forever remember also the rich love of our Father for us. He loves us so much that when we fail to obey He corrects us and then puts His arm around us and assures us of His love, forgiveness and care for us.
SO GO WITH GOD for just as mom & dad loved us and corrected us, so also He loves us His children, with His tender hand of correction and then enfolds us in His loving arms. He today, this morning holds His arms out in loving demonstration of His love for you. Oh my dear one He cares for you, even when we disobey Him, He says "You are my child". Holding us in His loving caress. So rest in that comfort this morning.