God punishes us by loving us more.
Because we are precious to him.
When He sees us turning away, hurting, lost, bewildered and overwhelmed He comes after ‘the one‘ and loves us more.
He created us perfectly for perfection before the beginning of time.
Because of Jesus redemption He still sees us as those saints not corrupted by the enemy in the way we often see ourselves.
“My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways”
We try to understand with the mind of man that which is only comprehendible by God.
It isn’t the case that God changes.
It is more the case that our knowledge of Him evolves, unfolds throughout time.
We have gradually let God grow from the God of justice and divine retribution to the added attribute of restorative God of Love.
Love is the only thing that transforms the human heart. In the Gospels, we see Jesus fully revealing this divine wisdom.
Love takes the shape and symbolism of healing and radical forgiveness.
You cannot lead people to the highest level of motivation by teaching them the lowest. God always and forever models the highest, and our task is merely to “imitate God
God can legitimate and validate human beings in their original and total identity!
God wins by making sure we win—just as any loving human parent does.
It is when we come to the end of ourselves that we see the full extent of His love. The Worth in His promises and a glimpse of some of what all that signifies and how it outworks.
The illustration is of His hands as the potter creating us and giving us our being for His purpose in His time in the big picture of His creation.
Four scriptures that come to mind:
“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
Ephesians 5:1-2 ESV
“I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the Lord, that you may remember and be confounded, and never open your mouth again because of your shame, when I atone for you for all that you have done, declares the Lord God.””Ezekiel 16:62-63 ESV
“And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honour me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,”Isaiah 29:13 ESV
“You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, “He did not make me”; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, “He has no understanding”?”Isaiah 29:16 ESV
The song Who am I. Casting Crowns
https://youtu.be/mBcqria2wmg
Lessisgreater 