Sunday, January 27, 2013

True Love Disciplines


“For whom the LORD loves He reproves. Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights” (Proverbs 3:12 NASB).


Do we recognize the loving way in which the Lord skillfully takes the time to discipline us?   His desire to correct our sinful attitudes and actions come from His deep love and commitment to us.  His commandments restrain us from reacting foolishly or in our flesh and are meant for our best.  He is not a killer of fun or joy, but the giver of both.

The Lord disciplines us because of His love.  He cannot sit by apathetically and silently while we destroy ourselves. His love compels Him to find ways to instruct us and bring improvement into our lives.  He's never so busy that He lacks time to extend a tender touch of truth toward us.

His grace and mercy triumphs over the judgment we rightly deserve.   He loves us too much to leave us broken if we desire fixing.  We may endure some pain, but in His loving hands we gain much more than we ever would lose.  He will leave us to our own choices and consequences, but He's always willing to come along side of us to pick up the broken pieces of our lives.  No matter how great the fall, He can put us back together again.

His delight is us.  We are His only creation that He called "very good" and made in His image.  We are the pinnacle of His good works, and His deepest desire for us involves a relationship with Him.  

Why does He discipline us then? Love. Pure, unadulterated love and commitment to us as His child.  He always does it exactly from the purest motives too.  May we recognize it and be moved to delight in Him because of His commitment to us in this way.

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