Amos 3:2 “You only have I known among all the families of the earth; Therefore I will punish (paqad) you for all your wrongdoing.”
Imagine with me for a moment that you have been offered membership into an exclusive club. This club carries with it great honor, untold riches, and being a member will even save your life one day. You don’t have to pay for your membership but you do have to be invited. If you accept the offer of membership, you are accepting everything that goes with being a member. Being a member means you have to accept the leaders rules and regulations and if you don’t abide by these rules you may not be kicked out of the club, but you will be punished. It’s important you know the rules before you join so that you are not taken by surprise the moment you infringe upon a rule and have to suffer the consequences.
The benefits of such a club far exceed the restrictions placed upon an individual within it. You may ask what the rules are for, why each rule has been set, or if the rules are even justifiable. Your allowed to ask these questions, you just aren’t allowed to change them or offend them. The rules have been set in place long before time even existed, they are ancient and have good reasoning behind them.
The general intent of God’s rules is for order, for protection, and ultimately to express love to those bound by them since they were made for them. When punishment occurs for breaking His rules, it is not to bring despair but just the opposite, it is to renew.
Do you want to be apart of this club? The offer goes out to everyone, there are none who are excluded. The members are not to impose the rules on anyone who is not a member, that would be unjust. The rules are divine in nature but it is only the members who recognize them and have therefore committed to adhering to them.
John 15:10 “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.”
Membership has its Privileges
First, the negative aspects of membership:
Because there must be order, there also must be a framework by which it is run. Within the context of membership is an order that is reflective of its founder. His nature is good and everything associated with Him is likewise good. People may occasionally stumble but there is much grace given. Fools are rarely seen and for those who come in as simple people, their countenance is changed dramatically in wisdom. If a member acts foolishly, they are corrected, not as a form of self-righteous authority but because each member represents the founder.
There is a reason fools don’t make it in this club.
Punishment is rarely embraced by the fool. The fool acts foolishly because he has no regard for anyone or anything other than himself. Rules are certainly offensive to the fool and he will resist them until his dying breath.
Punishment for the wise is received differently. To the wise, punishment is a necessary tool for growth. Without adherence to rules, the path forward would be open to interpretation, leaving the one traversing this path guessing as to which direction to go. Rules give peace of mind that there is an order to things, and a distinctive path moving forward; there is security in the path.
In God’s Kingdom, rules express God’s love in much the same way.
Zechariah 10:2 “For the idols speak delusion;
The diviners envision lies,
And tell false dreams;
They comfort in vain.
Therefore the people wend their way like sheep;
They are in trouble because there is no shepherd.”
The Lord is the Shepherd, He leads His people in paths of righteousness and they follow a course that brings comfort and peace. Everything else that sets itself up against the Lordship of Jesus Christ leads people astray and into trouble.
The positive aspects of being a member of the body of Christ far exceed the negative. As you might have guessed, this club is the Kingdom of God, the leader is Jesus, the Word of God is the rule book and it’s members are those saved by grace.
The privileges of living in God’s Kingdom and following His rules are manifold:
- Any sins incurred before are now erased.
- His people become inheritors of God’s Kingdom.
- His people become rulers alongside Him.
- His people gain eternal life.
- His people gain unity among the redeemed.
- He guides and protects.
- He supplies their needs.
- He leads on paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
- He restores the soul and brings honor.
- There are times of refreshing and times of trial.
- His trials have purpose for His people.
It is a privilege to be called and accepted into God’s Kingdom, and so the position His people hold must be held in honor.
1 Corinthians 12:26 “And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.”
There are so many in this world who act like they want all the blessings without any of the sacrifice. The idea that somehow we can claim membership in God’s Kingdom and still keep one foot in the world is an assumption that will produce only hopelessness and regret. For those who are fully in the Kingdom, when something leads them astray, correction is needed.
When trials come, the body of Christ stands together.
The need for Correction
The idea of God punishing His people evokes a wide range of emotions, from being unjust to exerting unfair authority. Rebellion against any form of authority is common among those who have experienced bad leadership.
With God, punishment is correction that is reserved for His people.
The world wouldn’t understand correction, especially if God is doing it. The world draws false conclusions, they never give praise to where it is due, and the lessons learned would never lead to true growth for those who have no knowledge of Truth.
When God punishes, He always has an eye towards restoration and healing.
Jeremiah 3:19-22 “But I said: ‘How can I put you among the children
And give you a pleasant land,
A beautiful heritage of the hosts of nations?’ “And I said: ‘You shall call Me, “My Father,” And not turn away from Me.’
Surely, as a wife treacherously departs from her husband,
So have you dealt treacherously with Me, O house of Israel,” says the Lord. A voice was heard on the desolate heights,
Weeping and supplications of the children of Israel.
For they have perverted their way;
They have forgotten the Lord their God. “Return, you backsliding children, And I will heal your backslidings.”
But for those who respond to His call they cry out…
“Indeed we do come to You,
For You are the Lord our God.”
Correction is simply a call to return to righteousness and be faithful.
If we choose to go our own way, the Lord will not bless it. Often times the process of God removing His blessing reveals the error of our ways. We simply have no idea how good we have it, until it is gone.
Are you in a place of correction now?
Humble yourself, turn from your wickedness and seek the Lord with all your heart, He is waiting for you. Repent of your sin and the Lord will restore you.
When you return, you’ll wonder why you ever left in the first place.
U.T. 