II Timothy 1:7; Psalm 89 - "Flawless"

This morning as I was reading Psalm 89 I thought about the life of King David. He did not live a 'perfect' life by any means. He gave into temptation and sinned yet God forgave Him. God did not turn away from David just as He would never turn away from any of us. He loves us and desires for all of us to be in relationship with Him. Matthew Henry describes God's discipline in this manner. 

As the Lord corrected the posterity of David for their transgressions, so his people shall be corrected for their sins. Yet it is but a rod, not a sword; it is to correct, not to destroy. It is a rod in the hand of God, who is wise, and knows what he does; gracious, and will do what is best. It is a rod which they shall never feel, but when there is need. As the sun and moon remain in heaven, whatever changes there seem to be in them, and again appear in due season; so the covenant of grace made in Christ, whatever alteration seems to come to it, should not be questioned.

God's discipline can feel harsh but no matter what it is done in love. His discipline can feel like it lasts for a long time yet He needs us to realize what we did wrong and make appropriate changes. He does everything through love. That's how we need to live our lives. We need to love with His love. That means we need to forgive with His love when someone does wrong against us. That is not easy to do in the human flesh but through the Holy Spirit God empowers us to do so. He empowers us to not allow the enemy an open door in our lives as we live for Him. He empowers us to not lose faith in Him when we are going through tough times. He empowers us to see with His eyes and hear with His ears when we allow Him to work in and through us. Plain and simple. He empowers us. II Timothy 1:7 reads:

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. KJV

For God will never give you the spirit of fear, but the Holy Spirit who gives you mighty power, love, and self-control.  TPT

God doesn’t want us to be shy with his gifts, but bold and loving and sensible. MSG

The enemy will try to convince us we are not good enough for God when we sin or we don't do what God asks us to do. That is a lie. God will not turn His back on us. Just as He did not turn His back on David. He never gave up on David and He will not give up on us. I went through hell when I allowed the enemy to convince me God no longer loved me. It was one of the darkest times of my life. But I am living proof He does love me. He forgave me and welcomed me back with open arms. Nothing is too bad that we cannot receive forgiveness. Nothing is too bad that we cannot receive restoration in our relationship with Him. Nothing is too bad that will make it be He cannot use us for His glory. Plain and simple. Nothing is too bad for God. He is faithful and will continue to be faithful. He loves everyone so much and desires to be in right relationship with all. Psalm 89 begins with words that I believe strongly and try to remember whether I am in the valley or on the mountaintop. They read in the New Living Testament:

I will sing of the Lord’s unfailing love forever!
    Young and old will hear of your faithfulness.
2 Your unfailing love will last forever.
    Your faithfulness is as enduring as the heavens.

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for keeping us safe yesterday as we went to doctor appointments and Doc had chemo! Thank You for his blood work being good so he could have chemo! Thank You for encouraging me when I felt the tears come to the surface! Thank You for loving me even though I don't always do what I need to do! Father, cleanse me so You can fill me with more of Your Holy Spirit so I can have Your eyes and ears. I desire to be Your hands and feet in a mighty way. Father, thank You for the encouragement I received from Tiffany bringing over the casserole. I am so grateful for her being Your hands and feet yesterday to my hurting soul. I pray You will comfort Ben's classmates with the loss of two of their own along with comforting the families. I continue to pray for healing for Vance and strength for Jeanne during these tough days. May You be greater than what they are experiencing. I pray the same for Doc, that You would be greater than the pain he is in. Lord, I know I'm being selfish but I am so ready for Your return so we no longer have to deal with all the 'junk' of this world. But I know there are many who are not ready. May we believers become more bold in speaking and living out Your love so more people will come into relationship with You. Father, thank You for being My Faithful Father! Amen.