Those whom I [dearly and tenderly] love, I tell their faults and convict and convince and reprove and chasten [I discipline and instruct them]. So be enthusiastic and in earnest and burning with zeal and repent [changing your mind and attitude].
There are times we find ourselves saying things like, "I love the Lord so much because of all the things He has blessed me with". We need to beware of the deception that can come with the prosperity of God's blessing upon our lives. Sometimes, God may "try" us to see what is really in our hearts and minds. If our love is only based on His blessing upon our lives, we may buckle under the trial.
Your Loving Father has loved you with an everlasting love. Nothing will ever be able to separate you from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Those He dearly loves, He disciplines and instructs. While a time of chastisement may not seem like a time He is blessing You, it is still true that God loves you, even then.
If you feel your heart is hardening towards God during a period when He is disciplining and instructing You, or you feel your love for Him is based on His blessing upon your life, this is a time to ask Your loving Father for a new heart. Ask Him for a heart that loves Him simply because He is God. Ask Him to take You back to the point where You first met Him.
Prayer: My Loving Father, I thank You because You first loved me and nothing can separate me from the love You have for me. There may have been times when my love for You is conditional - based on the physical things You have done for me. While I must be appreciative of the things You do for me, I pray Father, that I will not be deceived by Your blessings in my life. I pray for a renewed heart that longs to love You unconditionally. I pray for Your help and understanding as my mind is being renewed. May my love for You not be based on the physical things You have done but based on Who You are, even when You are chastising me. In Jesus Name, Amen.
One-Year Daily Bible Reading Plan - Nov. 09 2010 - Psalms 25-26 (OT) , Revelations 19 (NT).
God’s Love and Mine…
