TOUGH LOVE

READING: DEUTERONOMY 28:58-63

Verse 63: “And it shall be, that just as the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good and multiply you, so the Lord will rejoice over you to destroy you and bring you to nothing...”

A number of years ago many people adopted what they thought to be an innovation in the exercise of parental authority. They called it “tough love”. The idea was that at times the most loving response is to permit children to suffer the pain of the consequences of improper behavior, rather than rescuing them from those consequences. Although this may have been difficult for parents to allow, it was recognized as a powerful way for necessary lessons of life to be learned. Solomon said “...And there is nothing new under the sun.”, (Ecclesiastes 1:9). That definitely applies to this “invention” of tough love. As this verse 63 above demonstrates, God has used tough love with His people for thousands of years. There does seem to be an important principle involved. We should know that true love that is
godly in nature, does not condone sinful behavior. Instead, it insists on respecting the Lord’s standards of righteousness. That’s a thought – about God’s Word.

RESPONSE

1. If you had to face serious sin in your life, would you rather bear the consequences or be exempted?

2. If you were exempted from consequences, how would that affect your responses to further temptation?