When I was a child if I did anything wrong or disobeyed, I was threatened with a punishment.
Are you in that age group?
Your punishment may have been having your allowance withheld, or no TV for a week…now it would probably be no Facebook or your phone, for an extended period.
As for me, it was a spanking…
and for a lot of us, any adult available felt free to administer it!
My granddaddy spanked me for the simple sin of punching out the intriguing green light on the console radio, my grandmother for stepping on her toes, my dad for talking in church and my mother, well, you better not be “sassy”!
As I have grown older it seems I feel the need to punish myself!
I feel that this is where our fear of being punished by God begins, whether you realize it or not.
Even though I heard about hell fire, I also heard about the love of God from a dad who explained why I was being punished and then prayed with me and then let it go, so I understood the difference between being rewarded and praised for something good I had done and being punished for my evil ways!
Here are a few scriptures showing the reward side of our God.
Genesis 15:1 this word of God came to Abram in a vision: “Don’t be afraid, Abram. I’m your shield. Your reward will be grand!”
Psalm 19:10-11 The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous…By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
Isaiah 40:10 See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, See, his reward is with him.
Jeremiah 31:16 But now this is what the Lord says: “Do not weep any longer, for I will reward you,” says the Lord.
Matthew 6:4 Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
2 John 1:8 Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked so hard to achieve. Be diligent so that you receive your full reward.
Rev. 22:12 “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.
These are only a few of the 103 references to reward in the Bible, compared to the 25 times that the word punishment is used!
I would say that God loves us, His own dear children!
2 Chronicles 16:9 The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.
Psalm 33:18-19 Watch this: God’s eye is on those who respect him, the ones who are looking for his love. He’s ready to come to their rescue in bad times; in lean times he keeps body and soul together.
Are you feeling special right about now? If you aren’t, you should be! God loves you!
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