Read: Jeremiah 12

I will return and have
compassion on them and
bring them back.
-Jeremiah 12:15

Bobby was feeling down. He had just been cut from the
school basketball team. To make matters worse, his dad
had found out that he had stolen some items from a
store.

When his father talked to Bobby, he let his son
explain what had happened at school and at the store.
The father tenderly told him that God can use
disappointments early in life, like being cut from the
team, to prepare us for bigger ones that are sure to
come.

Then he firmly told his son that he would not tolerate
shoplifting. Bobby quickly promised he would never
steal again. Even though his dad felt sorry for him, he
made Bobby face the consequences of his actions by
returning the stolen goods to the store manager and
confessing what he had done.

God is gentle with His children too – tender but never
compromising the truth. He told the discouraged prophet
Jeremiah that learning to face small problems would help
him tackle the big ones later (Jer. 12:5). And though
God made His rebellious people face the consequences of
their sin. He showed His tenderness when He called them
“the dearly beloved of My soul” (v.7).

Whether we are facing hardships or the results of our
own sin, God treats us with truth and tenderness.
-Herbert Vander Lugt

What tenderness the Father shows
To sinners in their pain!
He grants to them His strength to bear
The hurt that brings them gain. -DJD

GOD’S LOVE IS BOTH TOUGH AND TENDER.

OUR DAILY BREAD, Copyright 1999 by Radio Bible Class,
Grand Rapids,Michigan. Used by permission.