Like It or Not

At six o’clock in the morning I often turn to my local Christian radio station during my commute to work and listen to Dr. Vernon McGee. Although he passed away in 1988, they still air his radio addresses today…and for good reason. He had a 47 year radio ministry and was definitely a no-nonsense kind of guy who spoke with authority. Very bible-based; very straight-talking.

The other morning he was going through the passages of Ezekiel and providing insight into the messages from God as He spoke through Ezekiel to the Jewish people. The message was loud and clear: “You guys are sinning, not taking Me seriously, and I’m going to get your attention whether you like it or not.”

Judgment is a characteristic of God we often overlook in today’s “feel good” churches. It is an awesome characteristic nonetheless. For those of you who are parents, you probably have a keener sense of what I’m referring to. There is a time for love; a time for tough love; a time for forgiveness; a time for discipline. Any one of these traits solely on their own would breed a very dysfunctional situation. When balanced, however, a very strong relationship can be formed. And so it is with God. Of course we love it when God blesses us with good things in life. We must also be very attentive to the fact that He will—in a loving way—teach, direct and admonish us in order to have the best relationship possible with Him.

Don’t confuse discipline with punishment, though. It’s clear from scripture that the “wages of sin is death”…and that is the ultimate punishment. For those of us who are saved, however, in my heart I do not believe God punishes us for sinning or screwing up. He will most certainly discipline us in order for us to better ourselves; and it may really, really feel like punishment…but I believe there is a very distinct difference. The God I serve has paid the price of sin with a very horrific and grueling sacrifice so that we don’t have to. Nobody knows punishment like Jesus Christ.

If you trace back the roots of the word ‘punishment’ you’ll find the same root words from which we derive ‘penalty’ and ‘pain’. Discipline, however, comes from the same root word we get ‘disciple’, from the Latin discipulus meaning ‘pupil’. Now that puts it all in perspective for me.

Like it or not, I have a loving Father and Savior that will do anything—yes, even die on a rugged cross—so that I can have a personal relationship with Him. Yeah….I like it.

Greg Morton
© February 2, 2010