Jeremiah

I've been reading in Jeremiah the last few days and there's lots of cool stuff in there. I started kind of at the end and now I'm trying to go back and start from the beginning. It's amazing to see the compassionate and merciful side of God. But I think it's also good to try to grasp God's wrath as well.

I don't think we should be too quick to forget or ignore that God punishes sin. That God hates sin. In my search to learn more about God's character, I've discovered that I'm drawn more to stories in the Old Testament than the New Testament for some reason. I'm drawn to the stories that remind me that God is not this nice neat little grandpa person that just wants to hug us up all the time. I need to be reminded that He expects and desires obedience. That He feels anger. And more importantly, that He feels anger with me. I don't think sweaty yelling and pulpit banging is the thing we need to do necessarily.

But we cannot ignore certain aspects of Christianity and God's character just because it is not comfortable or fun to talk about. He is entirely who He is whether we choose to talk about it or not.

"Do not fear, O Jacob my servant, for I am with you," declares the Lord. "Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you but only with justice; I will not let you go entirely unpunished."
-Jeremiah 46:28 NIV

"Have you not just called to me: 'My father, my friend from my youth, will you always be angry? Will your wrath continue forever?' This is how you talk, but you do all the evil you can." -Jeremiah 3;4-5 NIV