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Kindness... Sternness...


Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tee, how much ore readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree! (Romans 11:22-24) 

          “I hate you!” a child cries when it doesn’t get its way.
          “I love you, Mommy,” the same child proclaims when it gets what it wants. 
         Whether or not Mommy is mean depends on whether or not the child is happy with what Mommy does. And a good mother doesn’t let her child’s judgment dictate her decisions. The same is true for God. When we are angry because we don’t get our way, we see God as harsh. We don’t believe that we deserve what He does. When we get our way, we see God as kind, and we believe that we do deserve that kindness. But God doesn’t let our approval or disapproval dictate his decisions.
          Being removed from the olive tree is like “Time Out.” It isn’t meant to be permanent. Sometimes, children become unmanageable, and must be removed from a home for the safety of the others in the household. It’s a harsh step, but someone’s life might hang in the balance. That doesn’t mean a prodigal can’t come home.

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