- For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not afflict from his heart or grieve the children of men. Lamentations 3:31-33 – Sometimes when reading passages like the ones we have been reading these past couple days I need a reminder like this one today. That God doesn’t afflict from His heart. Meaning He finds no pleasure in punishing us. It’s not coming from a bitterness towards us that He’s allowed to grow in His heart. We see that spoken again in Ezekiel 18:32 where He says He finds no pleasure in the death of anyone and pleads with man to turn from their sin and live. Take this truth to heart, God’s punishment towards our sin and the pain we go through as a result of our choices isn’t something He find pleasure in. His desire is for us to live holy and blessed, but is willing to allow us to feel the discomfort we need in order to turn from our sin. Know He doesn’t take pleasure in your pain, He finds delight when we turn from the sin that causes us pain. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1361
- “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” Lamentations 3:24 – About a month ago I was able to attend a church leaders conference and during that time one of the challenges given from the stage connected with the thought of this passage. When we pray to God, what are we seeking from Him? Are we seeking more from God, or are we seeking more of God? In our Lamentations passage we have Jerusalem being personified and speaking about their turmoil. They share the deep pains and the despair they are in as they cry with seemingly no help from the Lord. But, in the midst of the despair, he calls to mind the steadfast love and great faithfulness of God. In that place, of calling such things to mind, the writers settles His heart by saying, “The Lord is my portion.” While I may not have all the things I once did because of the chaos that has been in my life lately, I still have the Lord, and that’s enough for me. We too may have so much in life stripped away from our hands. Health, family, jobs, dreams, homes. While this can lead to deep despair, God is seeking for us as well to call to mind the truth that He is enough. We may lose everything else in life, but He is our portion. Our God will never leave, His love will never change, and His power can never be defeated. The things of this world will pass away, even the things that are precious to us in this world, but our God will remain. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2736
Daily DEVO 