HOSEA 6:1-3 – “Come, let us return to the LORD; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him. Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.”

THEME OF THE DAY. YES, GOD HURTS HIS CHILDREN. God hurts His children. Now please, do not stop reading, unsubscribe to the Daily Nugget or email me with correction. He really does hurt us, but He does not punish us. All punishment due us was placed on the Lord Jesus. God will not, even cannot, bring back punishment upon those whose punishment was upon Christ! Amen! However, our Father does hurt us as a Parent in corrective ways. Spend time reading the twelfth chapter of the New Testament book of Hebrews to get this reality deep in our hearts and minds – Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it (Hebrews 12:9-11). God’s pain of correction is a sign of our adoption. That alone should move us to embrace it, even in its deepest pain. So, let’s tie the Hebrews text to today’s scripture and see how God never wastes pain in our lives. There are two phrases of hurt – He has torn us and He has struck us down.

First, to tear something is to rip it apart or pull it away from something. And in the Christian life, God must tear us away from the number one problem we have in walking with Him – ourselves. God uses chastening pain to remove us from our wills. Unless self is crucified, we cannot be used mightily or draw close to Him in relationship. Selfishness is the core issue of sin and God in His love will tear us away from selfishness to heal us by developing selflessness in us.

Next, the Lord will strike us down. This is graphic imagery. It paints a picture of using an instrument beating someone down. Another picture is that of taking hold of someone and forcing them to the ground. What do we see in this painful but loving work of God? The development of humility. The humble Christian is the lowly Christian. The humble Christian is the fruitful Christian. Right beside and even a fruit of the sin of selfishness is pride. John Bunyan, the author of the famous book The Pilgrim’s Progress once said, “He that is so low need fear no fall.” That is what humility does. It protects a believer from “the fall” that pride inevitably leads to – a fall into sin, like Peter’s denial or a spiritual arrogance that leads to “a relationship fall” of hurting other believers. And God will strike us down to develop the most important virtue in the Christian life – humility – for without humility, there is no spiritual growth.

So, friends, God will hurt us. His love ensures it. His purposes for us ensure it. Don’t rebel. Don’t grumble. His painful correction in us is good for us, and if we respond appropriately, it will produce much fruit from our lives for His glory.

PRAYER: “Father, I praise You for Your always willing heart to restore me when I drift from You.”

QUOTE: “God’s love is not only a saving love but a restoring love to His wayward children.”