Love and Discipline

My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline,
    and don’t be upset when he corrects you.
12 For the Lord corrects those he loves,
    just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.
-Proverbs 3:11-12 (New Living Translation)

None of us likes discipline. In fact, it's something that our society seems to be lacking. We, as Christians, talk a lot about love. We talk about the love of God. But, we neglect to talk about discipline. While love and discipline sound like opposites, in reality, you can't have one without the other.

We read this in Proverbs 3:11-12, "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." The writer gives us two "do not" statements. "don't reject the Lord's discipline, and don't be upset when he corrects you." The bad thing is, this is exactly how you and I react to discipline. We tend to immediately reject it, and then be upset that it happened. How do you react when your boss at work disciplines you? You get upset, and walk around saying "I'm not going to put up with this! I don't have to take this!" 

Verse 12 tells us why we must not reject the discipline, and why we must not get angry. "For the Lord corrects those he loves." We see how much God loves us through His discipline. How? God wants what is best for you and me. He doesn't want to see us stumble. He doesn't want to see us get into something bad. His discipline is to keep us on the right path, on the path to His perfect, pleasing will for our lives. When we veer off to the left or right of that perfect path, He corrects us. Sometimes that swat on the rear end hurts, but I think it hurts God to have to do it. 

Is God trying to correct you today? Have you rejected that discipline? By rejecting the discipline of God, you also reject the love of God. Think About It.