response to a wicked heart

Luke 1

we see God responding to the wicked heart of Zachariah when Gabriel shows up and tells him he is going to have a son after his wife Elizabeth has been barren her whole life (and she is well along in years).

there are times when God responds to a wicked heart with wrath and punishment, with the ultimate purpose of His glory.

check out how Zachariah story ends...he celebrates his sons birth because of the promise God had made with him.

some strange way i can envision God in this situation. i desperately don't want to personify God in a way that is contradicting to scripture but my heart can see God's response in this situation. the problem with Zachariah is his wicked heart and God's main goal is to change his heart. God's discipline is to take his vocal cords away till John is born.

i imagine a patient God's when seeing wickedness, He maintains composure but administering discipline. God's ulimate goal is not to get His way but to eliminate the wickedness in the heart. His goal is to recognize what the wickedness is and punish accordingly to where wickedness is dealt with.


UHHH...Application?


as a father i punish because i do not get my way. i behave like a child but use my grown up voice. i yell, belittle, send to time out, and spank all out of being disrespected. my children disrespect me and their mom; so i look to correct it.

hows that working out Jordan?

well not that well.

i have two AMAZING boys, they struggle though (as any two and four year old do). their struggles in obedience and listening (or lack of) are in continuance day in and day out...over and over again. that's the definition of insane right? there are days that their mother and i go absolutely insane. we lose our cool and lose our temper. REASON? because it's about us (if we honestly seek the answer to that). i feel disrespected and so my kids get my reaction. a pride issue. a "you will obey me" thing.

an act of pride vs. an act of humility.

is this bad? no! there is nothing wrong with disciplining and desire respect from my boys but i MUST do a better job of recognizing the sinful, rebelious, wicked hearted nature and punish accordingly.

the glory of God is at stake here. i desperately desire my boys (and Noelle too when she reaches a age of discipline) to recognize the root of their evil desire and correct the problem where it makes an eternal difference in their life.


God, hear my heart and develop my behavior as a father as such...for your glory and not my own. build into my kids the capability and the heart to recognize where they fall short of your glory and change them daily. i pray the same for both Stacy and i. never let us to find complacency.

the love of YOU God is the most humbling force in the universe...not the wrath of God.

i MUST remember this when i deal with my kids day in and day out! may my wrath not be their force of change but our love and the love You offer them be their changing force!