Discipline
My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline,
and do not resent his rebuke,
because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
as a father the son he delights in.
Proverbs 3:11
A week or so ago we considered the fear of the Lord and whether God punishes us in direct correlation with our sin. That is, can we connect getting COVID to that time we forgot to give to Church.
And as I said on the Sunday, we need to be very hesitant to make these links. Some sins have very natural consequences. Lying bears the risk of the fallout of being found out. But why do some lies get found out and some don’t?
But this leads us to the proverb. If we have a big (and faithful) view of the sovereignty of God, then we need to see that God is at work even through our sins. The writer tells us that God disciplines us as a son/daughter who He delights in.
Take a moment to enjoy that. If you trust in Jesus. God loves and delights in you. But as any parent knows, to love our children is to help them grow. And one way we help them grow is love through discipline. So it is with God.
So. Let’s connect the dots. God may bring consequences from our sins in order to help us to grow to become more like His archetypal Son, Jesus. This is what He says in Romans 8. He works all things for good. But the very next verse tells us what that good is. It’s us becoming conformed to the image of His Son.
So. Don’t despise the Lord’s discipline. When you suffer as a consequence of your sins. Instead, see that God is disciplining you like a daughter/son He loves and ask how you could grow to be more like Jesus.
For Today:
Pray: Praise the Father that He is our perfect heavenly Father and that He delights in His people. Give thanks for Jesus Christ who was the perfect Son and shows us how to please the Father. Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others give thanks for God’s discipline and grow to become more like Jesus.
and do not resent his rebuke,
because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
as a father the son he delights in.
Proverbs 3:11
A week or so ago we considered the fear of the Lord and whether God punishes us in direct correlation with our sin. That is, can we connect getting COVID to that time we forgot to give to Church.
And as I said on the Sunday, we need to be very hesitant to make these links. Some sins have very natural consequences. Lying bears the risk of the fallout of being found out. But why do some lies get found out and some don’t?
But this leads us to the proverb. If we have a big (and faithful) view of the sovereignty of God, then we need to see that God is at work even through our sins. The writer tells us that God disciplines us as a son/daughter who He delights in.
Take a moment to enjoy that. If you trust in Jesus. God loves and delights in you. But as any parent knows, to love our children is to help them grow. And one way we help them grow is love through discipline. So it is with God.
So. Let’s connect the dots. God may bring consequences from our sins in order to help us to grow to become more like His archetypal Son, Jesus. This is what He says in Romans 8. He works all things for good. But the very next verse tells us what that good is. It’s us becoming conformed to the image of His Son.
So. Don’t despise the Lord’s discipline. When you suffer as a consequence of your sins. Instead, see that God is disciplining you like a daughter/son He loves and ask how you could grow to be more like Jesus.
For Today:
- Do you see that God loves and delights in you?
- Do you see that God disciplines you through sin’s consequences?
- Is there a particular sin or area of sinfulness that God is pointing out to you?
Pray: Praise the Father that He is our perfect heavenly Father and that He delights in His people. Give thanks for Jesus Christ who was the perfect Son and shows us how to please the Father. Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others give thanks for God’s discipline and grow to become more like Jesus.
Posted in Proverbs
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