Promise #17 - January 17

My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of His correction: For whom the LORD loveth He correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.  ~ Proverbs 3:11-12

When we think about discipline, we usually think about what it means based on our lives. If we were abused as children, we might fear God's discipline because we associate it with our parents' abuse. But the truth is that God is not like any other parent. Matthew 5:48 says that He is the best father.

God doesn't punish us because He's angry or doesn't want us to be with Him; He does it because He loves us completely. Just as we do not want our children to sustain injuries from touching a hot stove, our Father likewise does not desire us to be harmed in any manner. He wants us to be whole, so there will be times when He needs to correct us so we can learn from our mistakes.

The author of Hebrews 12:4-12 goes into more detail about the Lord's discipline and how it indicates that God loves us like His sons. The outcome is beneficial and will yield a harvest of righteousness. I ask the Holy Spirit to take away any fear we have of our Father's discipline because of any punishment we have received from people.

Because He loves us so much, may we all see that our Heavenly Father teaches and corrects us for our own good.

Prayer:

Thank you, Father, for being a loving Father who disciplines me for my own sake. Even when I don't understand what's going on, please help me to see how You are teaching me the right way to go.

I ask that You clarify any misunderstandings I have about Your disciplining love, which has been misrepresented to me over the years. I appreciate that You always have my best interests in mind when You teach me how to do things so that I can produce a harvest of righteousness that will last forever.

I pray in the name of Jesus, Amen.