Paul vs Osama!

Psalm 89 (New International Version, ©2011)

 ³⁰ “If his sons forsake my law and do not follow my statutes, ³¹ if they violate my decrees and fail to keep my commands, ³² I will punish their sin with the rod, their iniquity with flogging; ³³ but I will not take my love from him, nor will I ever betray my faithfulness. ³⁴ I will not violate my covenant or alter what my lips have uttered. ³⁵ Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness— and I will not lie to David— ³⁶ that his line will continue forever and his throne endure before me like the sun; ³⁷ it will be established forever like the moon, the faithful witness in the sky.”

What a beautiful, wonderful verse. This is a great statement of my God. It reminds me so much of being a parent. As a parent, have you ever said, "This is going to hurt you worse than me."  Only a parent can understand it. Only a parent can understand discipline is necessary. God knows he must discipline us for our sins. But, he will never forsake his love for us. He will never lose faith in us.

It may sound strange. Do you think God loved Osama Bin Laden? Did he ever give up that he would turn his life to him? Here is a man that the world despised. He was so anti-christ that he wanted to do everything possible to destroy us and our faith. But, I can guarantee you God loved him and was in pain at his death without accepting Christ. How do I know? Just go to the Bible. Have we forgotten Paul? Before his encounter with Christ, he was bent on destroying the early Christians. He was doing everything possible, just like Bin Laden, to eliminate us from Earth. God never gave up on Paul. He loved him and continued to work to convince him to change. Fortunately for Paul, he changed.

It is so easy for us to give up on those radicals who discount God. Part of our sinfulness is to give up on them and enjoy their suffering. God doesn't do that. We shouldn't do that. I am so thankful that God will never give up on me. I am so thankful that even through my sinfulness, God will keep trying to perfect his love in me. I know I will be punished for my sins. Osama was punished for his sins. He was held accountable for his actions. The consequences of our actions will never go away. But, God will love me no different. Praise God for that!