August 13, 2009 HE KNOWS THOSE
This is a revelation from the LORD about Nineveh. This book contains the vision of Nahum from Elkosh. God does not tolerate rivals. The LORD takes revenge. The LORD takes revenge and is full of anger. The LORD takes revenge against his enemies and holds a grudge against his foes. The LORD is patient and has great strength. The LORD will never let the guilty go unpunished. Raging winds and storms mark his path, and clouds are the dust from his feet... The LORD is good. He is a fortress in the day of trouble. He knows those who seek shelter in him. Nahum 1:1-3, 7 Back before I heard the song and people started saying it in churches, when I would go to the prison with the team I served with one thing that always stood out for me was when we would say, "God is good." They would reply (I know you know this) with, "All the time." (etc.) So, when I heard the song and they started doing it in our church I felt mixed feelings, I enjoyed it, but felt that something had been taken away from the inmates. It was just sort of "Holy" for that place alone. You know? Anyhow, Nahum had to be a prophet of doom, because even after poor old Jonah went against his "want tos" and witnessed to these people - they still turned their backs on the Lord. So, Nahum had to go and give them the bad news, "You do the crime - you do the time." Well, maybe not in those words, but you understand what I'm saying that Nahum said - right? This is a lesson our society desperately needs to learn. Criminals should be charged and punished, not to "rehabilitate" them, or even to "get them off the streets." Crime should be punished because a state, like God, must take the side of what is righteous and good, and when a person does evil, it is the right thing for the state, as it is good for God, to hold that person accountable. Human beings are responsible for the wicked things they do, and it is right that those who do evil receive some form of punishment for their crimes. When I ministered in prison, those women who had truly made genuine commitments to the Lord knew they were in the right place for the right reason. Now, they weren't just totally happy about it, but they were willing to accept the consequences of their wrong choices. However, there were some in there that constantly complained that their sentences weren't fair, etc., so forth, and so on. You could tell they had a bitter root within them; those were the women I liked to work with. It was miraculous to watch God work in their lives as days passed and they began to see that we were women who had been hurt by life almost as much as they had been, were willing to sacrifice our time to come and be with them, and that we genuinely cared - in God's way. You see, God does know those who seek shelter in Him - even when they are behind bars. My precious Lord, how can I not love You and hunger to have You hold me in the shelter of Your embrace? Hold those who feel far away from You today and let them know that You are but a heart-beat away! O. Addison Gethers e-mail address [email protected] [email protected] twitter URL http//:twitter.com/OAddisonGethers Messenger contact window live/msn messenger: [email protected] aim: durangoadd64 skype: cowboys62 yahoo messenger: OADDISONGETHERS rs --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Deaf-Blind Inspirational Life Group" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/dbilg?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
