July 3, 2024 Daily Dose of Discernment

“The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it." (Matthew 21:33)

Does God punish or does He, since He is love, do everything out of that divine nature?

If taken at face value, Jesus' pronouncement above can easily be misinterpreted as punishment from an angry God. While there is discipline in the motive, His endgame is fullness of life for all. God doesn't hate the Israelites, or anyone for that matter, but sometimes He stirs people up to jealousy to get them to come back to Him. Sometimes, like the father of the prodigal son, He allows us to fall flat on our face and waits for us to realize the folly of our ways. Because whom He loves, He corrects. Again, because in the end, He wants us to enjoy the benefits of His kingdom which He has chosen gladly to give us.