Christian Living

BEFORE CHASTISEMENT COMES

by Olawale Ogunsola
01/10/18
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To be chastised is not in any way a sweet experience. One important thing is that a good father or mother who loves his or her child shall not fail to put in place every necessary corrective measure. This will be to the advantage of the child, the family and the society at large.

     So it is with God, our Heavenly Father.

     For the benefits of saints, the family of God or the body of Christ, and the society in general, God has many means of correcting His own people. Sometimes, the corrective measure may be in proportion to the wrong act. As a loving Father, sometimes, it is less.  

     As a good Father, does He just melt-out such measures without a call for it? The answer is “no”.

     Any time the Lord’s people act contrary to His will, the first thing He does is to send one of His servants to warn them. Such a message will explain their wrongdoing, when it started, how they commit it and the necessary steps to adjust their ways.

     Many times He sends repeatedly and waiting patiently to see whether they will put on a new leaf or not. A change of heart to walk uprightly causes the Maker of all things to cease from melting any corrective measure He had planned.

     Do you know that this loving Father does not stop at sending His messengers to warn His people?

     He goes further to perform wonders they had feared. This may be an evil the people have feared would befall them which He prevents or a need they thought no one could provide which He readily makes available.

     He meets the needs of His people by miracles to convince them and stabilise their faith in Him and words or commands. He loves to prove to them that His people are safe in His hand.

     Whenever the Lord determines to melt out any form of chastisement to His people, such people will know that they have been guilty.

     What is the expectation of God from His people and those who are potential people of God?

     Repentance! God, the Creator of all things want people to turn from their evil acts to doing good. An example will suffice here:

     “Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.”    Jonah 1:1-2.

      Did the people of the city act right?

     Jonah 3:5- 10 discloses,

      “So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.

     And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil that he had said that He would do unto them, and he did it not.” KJV (Original King James Version)

     The Lord God is a merciful God. He remains the same now and forever. Do you experience any form of hardship? Have you examined yourself very well in the light of His words? If you have known what your sins, iniquities or transgressions are, please REPENT and mend your ways now because tomorrow may be late.

     Apostle Peter advises in Act 3:19 thus,

     “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.”

     Do this and be saved from the chastisement of the Lord.