IBS 79 - PROVERBS 23:13-14

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Do not withhold correction from a child, For if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. You shall beat him with a rod, And deliver his soul from hell. 
Proverbs 23:13-14

I am thankful I was disciplined as a child. Now as a child I distinctly remember not appreciating it one bit. But as I have grown up and watched other families discipline or not discipline their children I have become more and more thankful. It was never easy but I know I would not be who I am today had my parents not been so diligent in their discipline. As hard as it was for me at times, I never doubted their love for me. And now even more so, I see how great their love for me truly was. As I have walked with the Lord I have had to learn the same thing. He chastens me because He loves me. His love for me is so great that He corrects me to save my soul from hell. Literally. God in all His sovereignty knows that if I continue in my sin it will be against me, and not for my good. Even if at that moment it satisfies and feel great, ultimately it will bring death and pain. So He chastens me, He corrects me, He disciplines me. Because He knows that there is so much more, that the sin I desire so easily will actually leave me more empty and unsatisfied. He loves me, and so He is conforming me more and more to His image. That involves discipline and correction because of my sinful nature. But I know as I have continued walking with Him that it is so worth it. And I grow to love Him more. Because He chastens whom He loves. 


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