“My son, do not despise the Lord‘s discipline
or be weary of his reproof,
for the Lord reproves him whom he loves,
as a father the son in whom he delights.“
When was the last time you were called out?
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve corrected one of my kids only to hear, “Well, so-n-so does it.” I’m sure I’ve said similar things myself.
No one enjoys being corrected.
Whether it comes from a parent, teacher, or a supervisor, or even a friend or spouse, our first instinct is often to become defensive. We make excuses or point out someone else’s faults to deflect attention from our own.
Correction is rarely comfortable.
That is why these verses are so wise, if not difficult to hear. Proverbs doesn’t tell us to avoid the Lord’s discipline. It tells us not to despise it.
Why?
Because God’s correction is different from the world’s.
Sometimes people correct us out of frustration or pride. Other times because they simply enjoy pointing out another person’s failures. But when the Lord disciplines His children, He does so for an entirely different reason.
He loves them.
A good parent doesn’t let a child run into the street because saying “no” might hurt the child’s feelings.
God’s discipline works the same way because His discipline is love.
God’s discipline is also always correct and wise.
I remember a time in college, I was in a Christian campus group and some of the guys pulled me aside and admonished me. I had recently been taught about heeding the Lord’s discipline, so I tried to listen and not get defensive, but at the same time it seemed to me that they weren’t correct. A combination of bad theology and assumptions led to some false conclusions. Their hearts were in the right place. They were acting in love, but they were just wrong.
God is never wrong in His discipline, either in what He disciplines is for or how He disciplines us.
Sometimes He corrects us through His Word as we recognize attitudes or actions that don’t belong in the life of His people. Other times He uses a fellow Christian who lovingly points out a blind spot we couldn’t see ourselves. And sometimes He allows us to experience the painful consequences of our own foolish decisions so that we learn to walk a wiser path.
None of those moments feel pleasant, but they can become moments of tremendous growth.
The writer to the Hebrews quotes these very verses from Proverbs and reminds us that
“for the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
That little word “later” is important.
We don’t always understand God’s work while it is happening. Often we can only see His wisdom by looking back.
So when God’s Word convicts you, don’t assume He is rejecting you.
When He exposes your sin, don’t conclude that He has stopped loving you.
The opposite is true.
His correction is evidence that you belong to Him. A loving Father doesn’t abandon His children to whatever path they choose. He calls them back.
Again and again.
Let’s pray…
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for loving me enough to correct me. Forgive me for the times I resist Your Word or become defensive when You expose my sin. Give me a humble heart that is willing to learn and to be shaped by Your wisdom. Help me to trust that Your discipline always flows from Your love and is for my good. Through Your Holy Spirit, continue Your work in me, making me more like Jesus each day.
Amen.
As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:
After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
