He's Not Like That

Proverbs 3 talks of the discipline of the Lord, our Father.

My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord
Or loathe His reproof,
For whom the Lord loves He reproves,
Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.

Earthly fathers sometimes discipline us out of anger, and they hurt us physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  We see the anger in their faces and we cower in fear.

However, we are told in this verse to not reject it when the Lord disciplines us or to hate it when he corrects us.  Remember, He’s not like our earthly fathers.

Look at the end of the verse.  He delights in us.  We bring him joy. So when he corrects and disciplines us it’s because He loves us.

This is a hard pill to swallow, to take the Lord’s discipline and know that He’s never displeased with us, and that He doesn’t discipline us because we’ve been “bad” and deserve a spanking.  That’s not who God is.

God does discipline and correct, but His purposes are always to restore and to instruct us in the paths of life.

A good father disciplines his children, always.  Otherwise, they grow up to be adult brats.  And that’s not pretty.

If you’re in a place of discipline right now, listen well, and receive the instruction with a grateful heart.  Put away the fears of your childhood and step into the peace of your relationship with a Father who loves you so much that He sings over you with joy.