Daily Devotional For Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Yeah – you have reached Hump Day. Well, we might be getting some more wintery mix later tonight or tomorrow. I keep getting different weather reports. If we do, please stay safe in it. A lot of people have different views of God I have discovered. Many of these views are not biblical. In fact, they are idolatrous. Why? Instead of accepting that we are made in God’s image, many people want to make God in their image. And when they do, they come up with their subjective doctrine about God. A few examples are:
- “God doesn’t send good people to hell.”
- “God is all loving and not judging.”
- “God is not vengeful.”
Those are just a few. When we read the Old Testament, especially the prophets, we get a picture of God that runs contrary to these views above. Take for example the prophet Amos in Amos 7:4-6:
“Thus the Lord God showed me, and behold, the Lord God was calling to contend with them by fire, and it consumed the great deep and began to consume the farm land. (5) Then I said, “Lord God, please stop! How can Jacob stand, for he is small?” (6) The Lord changed His mind about this. “This too shall not be,” said the Lord God” (NASB).
What do we know about the prophet Amos? Amos was a prophet—not a court prophet or a palace prophet—a farmer that God used to speak to his generation. God had decided to pour out judgment on the Israelites because of the condition of their hearts, and He revealed His intentions to Amos in a vision. Amos, when he saw that happening, had a choice. He could have said, “I agree. Wicked people. They’re idolaters. They offer their children as sacrifices. They’re greedy. They’re immoral. They deserve it.”
But that’s not what he did. He cried out to God for mercy, and God relented. It is tempting to complain about the condition of our nation, but what if we channeled that energy into asking God to be merciful on us and heal our land? As we see in this passage, He hears the cries of ordinary people like us—and who else will cry out to God but the people of God? Christian author and pastor Tim Keller answers an interesting question:
“Can a loving God also be a judging God?” In Christianity God is both a God of love and of justice. Many people struggle with this. They believe that a loving God can't be a judging God. Like most other Christian ministers in our society, I have been asked literally thousands of times, "How can a God of love be also a God filled with wrath and anger? If He is loving and perfect, He should forgive and accept everyone. He shouldn't get angry."
I always start my response by pointing out that all loving persons are sometimes filled with wrath, not just despite of but because of their love. If you love a person and you see someone ruining them—even they themselves—you get angry. As Becky Pippert puts it in her book Hope Has Its Reasons: `Think how we feel when we see someone we love ravaged by unwise actions or relationships.
Do we respond with benign tolerance as we might toward strangers? Far from it. . . . Anger isn’t the opposite of love. Hate is, and the final form of hate is indifference. . . .’ God’s wrath is not a cranky explosion, but his settled opposition to the cancer . . . which is eating out the insides of the human race He loves with His whole being. The Bible says that God's wrath flows from His love and delight in His creation. He is angry at evil and injustice because it is destroying its peace and integrity.The Reason for God, p. 73).
Jesus’ name, power, and authority changes the course of nations. The hope and Spirit-filled prayers of His people make a difference. One of the reasons we get angry is because we are created in God’s image. Sin is an injustice and it should rile up anger in us just like it does God. I remind you: “Anger isn’t the opposite of love. Hate is, and the final form of hate is indifference. . . .”
Questions To Consider
- What injustices get you angry? What do you do about them?
- If God did not deal with the injustice of sin, what do you think the world would be like? What do you think eternity would be like?
- God’s greatest attack of anger on sin is the cross. Why?
- What do you think of Tim Keller’s answer to the question, “Can a loving God also be a judging God?” Why?
Scripture To Meditate On: Nahum 1:6, “Who can stand before His indignation? Who can endure the burning of His anger? His wrath is poured out like fire And the rocks are broken up by Him” (NASB).
Prayer To Pray: “Heavenly Father, we are a people in great need. You are a God of mercy and compassion, a God who restores and renews. Forgive our pride and rebellion, and pour a spirit of humility and repentance upon us. May fear and reverence of You wash over our hearts and minds. Our hope is in the name of our Lord. In His name, Amen.”
I love you Southside!--Pastor Kelly