"Wonder and Warning"

     The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ provides both necessary wonder and essential warning to those who believe.

       "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!" (Romans 11:33).  
     "The Lord shall judge His people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Hebrews 10:30-31).

     Our Heavenly Father provides the freest grace to His trusting children in Christ without jeopardizing His integrity.  He is "both just and the justifier of Him which believeth in Jesus" (Romans 3:26).  We either glorify Him by experiencing His blessing as we continue in faith, or we glorify Him by becoming subjects of His chastening if we significantly wander from the faith that began our relationship with God.  Indeed, if we could quantifiably measure joy and misery, we would discover the happiest person on the planet to be a born again Christian who presently trusts and submits unto the Lord in circumstances wherein such joy seems impossible.  Conversely, the most miserable heart would belong to some believer who has turned away from trusting and submitting to the Lord Jesus.  God loves us enough to both bless us with "joy unspeakable", and to "chasten" and "scourge" us when and as necessary (I Peter 1:8; Hebrews 12:6).

     The writers of Scripture, as led by the Holy Spirit, lavish us with the wonder of God's lovingkindness in Christ.  They do not fail, however, to warn us of God's loving chastening in Christ.  In our present existence, we require both expressions of our Heavenly Father's perfect devotion to us.  We do well to remember, and to remind each other that the Hand which caresses is also the Hand that wields the rod of correction.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ."
(Ephesians 1:3)
"Christ in you, the hope of glory: whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus."
(Colossians 1:27-28)