Wednesday 5 Mar 2014

Wednesday Reading: Zechariah 1:1-4

Key Verse: Zechariah 1:3
Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Return to Me,” says the Lord of hosts, “and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts.

Devotion:
I do feel for the prophets of old as they were given word to go out and tell the people how God was not pleased with them. It is a hard thing to do when we are also trying to give out love by the bucket load to bring people back to God. But one of the things we learn and children but only see when we are adults is that discipline actually works! I am not talking about discipline of dictators and such, but the correct and righteous discipline that God teaches us.

The prophets were given words to take to the people to remind them that they were the ones who had walked away from God. Not just on the spur of the moment but over long periods of time. God is very patient to wait for us to return, but He will grow weary of our rebellion just as any parent does eventually as well. If parents are not picking up on this then they have something to answer to – and that is answering to God, not to me or anyone else!

God is righteous and just. That means He will not sweep everything under the carpet just so that we can run off and do our own thing! When the time comes to bring us back in line we have to be prepared to put up with the discipline that He is going to dish out to us and to all around us. What we do, or don’t do, affects us and all the people around us; we have to be aware of the consequences of our actions.

I do know that God is very forgiving and I do know that He is also very fair with His judgment. If we are prepared to accept Him as our God, then we have to be prepared to accept everything that He has said and given us as the truth and proper guidance. That means that we should be willing to repent of our sins, turn away from them and also encourage others to do the same. It is no use saying one thing and doing another; that is not righteous!

Points to Ponder:
Do you accept discipline?

Do you listen to God?