S)"32 But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world."
1 Corinthians 11:32 (NASB)
O) This is it, this is the difference between discipline and punishment. God doesn't condemn His children to hell, as long as they are rightly His children. He will, however, still judge our behaviors and our character right now. He will discipline us for our sins because He loves us and He wants to see our behavior improved. He wants to see our character grow in Him.
A) It's hard being disciplined. It's hard to learn patience and to learn restraint. Ultimately, though, the discipline of the Father produces a harvest of righteousness which is a blessing to me and to my family. When I make mistakes, I need to remember that God isn't about to punish me and He isn't angry with me, ready to pour out His wrath squarely on my head. Instead, whatever consequent discipline I receive, while painful, will still only be for my benefit, for my good.
P) Father, I welcome Your discipline in my life. The moment You stop disciplining me is the moment that Your judgement of me turns to condemnation. Whatever discipline it takes, Father, call me Your son. Holy Spirit, heighten my awareness and open my eyes to see when my struggle is discipline. Let me learn from my mistakes, even in the middle of my mistakes. Teach me, even better, to learn from the mistakes of others so that I can be disciplined before there are errors in my ways. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment