“For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth” (Proverbs 3:12).
None of us likes to be disciplined by our parents. It’s not fun at all. But if you have loving parents, you know they don’t enjoy disciplining you either. A little girl named Addy was once caught stealing money out of her mom’s purse. When her dad took her aside to discipline her, Addy saw that her dad was crying, even while he gave her a punishment. At first Addy was just sad that she had been caught. But when she saw her dad crying, she was even sadder that she had disappointed him so much by stealing.
Our Heavenly Father is disappointed when we, His children, sin. He punishes us because He knows that sometimes a punishment is necessary for us to learn to obey Him. This is called discipline. God loves us and punishes us for our good, not because He enjoys disciplining us. Throughout the Old Testament, God often had to discipline the children of Israel when they went astray and disobeyed Him. But His heart’s desire wasn’t to punish them—it was for them to repent of their sins and turn back to Him!
God has to discipline us when we disobey Him, but He does it because he loves us.
My response:
» Do I understand that God disciplines His children because He loves them?
» Do I remember that I am disappointing my Heavenly Father when I sin against Him?