Tag: consequences

Kindly Uncle or Loving Father (Father Complex Pt. 1)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

“I like Jesus, but I don’t like the God of the Old Testament. He’s too angry.” I’ve had this conversation with many of my non-Christian friends. They gravitate toward the humility and gentleness of the Christ. But they shy away from the wrath and fury of the Father. But I believe these are twin facets of the same coin engraved in love.

One of the most memorable moments of my childhood was when my little brother slapped my mom. My father was standing right next to her. And I still remember the terror in my little brother’s eyes as he dashed into our game room and slammed the door. My father stomped after him. And my older brother and I weren’t sure if he was going to survive the night! Of course, the youngster survived to rebel another day. But because of that discipline he never laid a hand on our mother again. Now my father’s righteous anger demonstrated two things: first, his care for his wife; second, his care for his son.

The Justice of Love

My father loves my mom as he loves himself (Ephesians 5:28), so love compelled him to defend his wife when she was so viscerally disrespected. In like manner, God loves us all as His children, and He hates to see us mistreated. In the book of Isaiah, God says, “Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of My people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless. What will you do on the day of reckoning, when disaster comes from afar” (Isaiah 10:1-3)? When God witnesses injustice, He responds with righteous indignation, just as we should.

When I saw a police officer kneeling on George Floyd’s neck, I was furious, and I yearned for the justice that my hands were incapable of delivering. But because God is all-powerful and all-loving, that same anger pushes Him to bow down the heavens and act on behalf of those who’ve been wronged (Psalm 18:6-9).

The Discipline of Love

Secondly, my father loved my little brother too much to allow him to continue down the rebellious path he’d taken. Even Dr. Benjamin Spock, one of the most influential 20th century voices against corporal punishment, still knew that discipline was necessary. Whether through words or deeds, a loving parent must communicate their love by disciplining their children, so how much more our heavenly Father?

The author of the book of Hebrews said, “For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way (Hebrews 12:10-11).”

Therefore, when we as individuals, churches, or nations suffers the consequences of our wicked actions, this is not a sign that God doesn’t care for us any longer. Rather, it shows that He cares too much to allow us to keep going astray. As famous writer C.S. Lewis once said, “God shouts through our pain.” And sometimes that pain is the only restraint between us and death.

Conclusion

God so loved the world that He gave His only Son to us (John 3:16). But He also loves us so much that He doesn’t leave us to our own devices. He defends the needy, He disciplines the wayward, and He destroys the wicked. Without this aspect of God’s character, He’ll only be our kindly but distant Uncle rather than our present and loving Father.

“My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke because the Lord disciplines those he loves as a father the son he delights in.”

(Proverbs 3:11-12)

https://open.spotify.com/track/1GroB3cEZTvfhKQ7PebPas?si=af7457e9ba924d71

Out of the Depths (Unreliable Idols Pt. 4)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

This the fourth and final article in a series on unreliable idols. For Part 1 on Fame, click here. Part 2 on Fortune, click here. Part 3 on Freedom, click here.

There once lived a man named Jonah. He was a well-known prophet of God who preached to royalty (2 Kings 14:23-25) and was even spoken of by Jesus Himself (Matthew 12:40-12:41, Matthew 16:4). But he too struggled with an idol in his heart: his homeland of Israel. 

The LORD called him to preach a message of judgment and repentance to Assyria, the empire that was oppressing their nation, but Jonah fled by boat in the opposite direction (Jonah 1:1-3). When the judgment of God caught up with him in the form of a mighty storm, he tried to commit suicide by having himself flung into the sea (Jonah 1:4-15). But God sent a large fish to swallow him (Jonah 1:17). At his lowest, engulfed by the consequences of his idolatry, he uttered a prayer to God that I found deeply moving.

Speak to God

Jonah begins his prayer, “In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry.” (Jonah 2:1 NIV).

From his watery grave, Jonah cries out to God. He recognizes that even in this deep pit, God can still hear him, and from there God can still rescue him.

Speak to Yourself

In Jonah 2:3, Jonah speaks of the torment he’s in. He says, “You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me.” He doesn’t pretend everything’s alright; he admits his anguish. But he doesn’t stop there.

He says he told himself, “‘”I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple”‘” (Jonah 2:4 NIV). Jonah encourages himself with what he knows to be true. He knew daybreak would follow his long night. He knew he would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living even while clutched by the jaws of death. Etched into the fabric of his heart was the knowledge that the God he served was faithful, even when he wasn’t (2 Timothy 2:13).

Speak to Your Idols

Lastly, Jonah says, “‘Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the LORD'” (Jonah 2:8-9 NIV)! Jonah finally saw his idols for what they truly were: Vain, useless, and utterly unreliable. They could not satisfy him, save him, or fulfill his heart’s desires the way God could.

We too must come to a place where we can speak this truth about our own idols. Fame, fortune, freedom, or anything else in this entire world cannot fill the God-shaped hole in our hearts.

Conclusion

After this prayer, God spoke to the large fish that had swallowed Jonah, and it vomited him onto dry ground (Jonah 2:10). God then recommissioned Jonah to fulfill the mission He’d given him in the first place, the one he’d vowed to fulfill while in the belly of the deep (Jonah 3:1-2).

This commission can be the hardest part of the journey. When we’re at our lowest, we may cry out to God, recognize our idols, and even vow to be the parent, spouse, or employee we’d once set out to be. But once God sets us back on the shore, following through with that decision is a daily test. We must continue setting one foot in front of the other, leaving our idols behind and straining to grasp the God in front of us.

He is waiting for us with open arms.

“O Israel, stay away from idols! I am the one who answers your prayers and cares for you. I am like a tree that is always green; all your fruit comes from me.”

(Hosea 14:8 NLT)