SCRIPTURE: My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you. For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights. Proverbs 3:11-12 NLT
THOUGHT: Accepting the idea that correction and discipline are expressions of love likely depends on what kind of parents you had. My own could be harsh sometimes, and worse, I don’t think they ever saw discipline as anything but punishment, and alas the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree. It has taken all my years to hear the words discipline or correction and not run (and I don’t mean in a self-disciplined 5K!).
Hebrews repeats the promise of Proverbs 3 and I find the passage in the Message really encouraging: My dear child, don’t shrug off God’s discipline, but don’t be crushed by it either. It’s the child he loves that he disciplines; the child he embraces, he also corrects. God is educating you; that’s why you must never drop out. He’s treating you as dear children. This trouble you’re in isn’t punishment; it’s training, the normal experience of children. Only irresponsible parents leave children to fend for themselves. Would you prefer an irresponsible God? We respect our own parents for training and not spoiling us, so why not embrace God’s training so we can truly live (Heb. 12:5-9 MSG)?”
I’ve been a Christian long enough to trust God’s heart toward me, and to appreciate the fact that he is not irresponsible with my life. Words like discipline, correction, and training are balanced by loved, embraced, and dear child. I see value in the promise that God will be faithful, even to a runner’s heart like mine, and I see love in the training program. It costs God something to stick with us, and I’m grateful he does.
PRAYER: Thank you God for the promise of faithfulness to us through all your graces, including correction and discipline. Thank you for your Father’s heart that is not irresponsible or punitive or capricious. You’ve loved me so well that I want to run toward you, not away.
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Blogger Amy Clemens is the author of Walking When You’d Rather Fly: Meditations on Faith After the Fall. In it she explores childhood sexual abuse and how it impacted her faith (or lack thereof) for four decades. You’ll find not only her story, but better yet, the Big Story of God.
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