“Moses and Aaron were among His priests, and Samuel was among those who called upon His name; they called upon the LORD, and He answered them . . . You answered them, O LORD our God; You were to them God-Who-Forgives, though You took vengeance on their deeds" (NKJV; “Yet you punished their wrongdoings” ESV; Psalm 99:6, 8).
Dear Praying Friends:
A good friend of mine, a church elder who often preaches in various Christian meetings, told me recently that he was planning on a “first” for him: He is going to speak on the Wrath of God.
“Good for you!” I replied.
Why?
Because our churches suffer from not holding a balanced – that is to say, a biblical – view of God. We rightly emphasize grace but neglect (1) to say why Jesus had to die and (2) to teach on God’s discipline for the children whom he loves (1 Corinthians 11:29-32; Hebrews 12:3-11; Revelation 3:19).
Thank you for praying last week.
I made good progress on the story about Pearl Buck’s father, though I couldn’t finish it. The last one hundred pages of his daughter’s biography of him contained new and important information about this complex and controversial missionary, and I need time to process this, as well as to read a couple of other sources. He was a major figure in a transitional period, representative in some ways and atypical in others. The issues of those days remain relevant today and deserve careful treatment.
Yours in his mercy,
Wright