‘He will not always accuse’ (Psalm 103:9)

If we sin, our heavenly Father will correct us, in order to reclaim us; His strokes often fall heavy, and the effects remain for a long time. But He will not always chide; when we repent and confess, He pardons and restores.

His anger is but for a moment; but His mercy is everlasting. He loves when He frowns, and pities while He reproves. “The Lord is gracious, full of compassion, and plenteous in mercy; He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities, for as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him.”

Let us not therefore despise the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when we are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves, He chastens. In a little wrath He may hide His face from us for a moment; but with everlasting kindness He will have mercy on us, and prove Himself our Redeemer. His frowns are transient, but His love is everlasting. His strokes are few and light, but daily He loads us with benefits, and crowns the year with His bounty.

God will not always chide;
And when His strokes are felt,
His strokes are fewer than our crimes
And lighter than our guilt:
He chides us with a Father’s heart,
That we from Him may not depart.

THE DAILY REMEMBRANCER by James Smith (1802-1862)

Journal Jottings

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