Daily Devotion: Love and Discipline

Scripture:
Hebrews 12: 3-11
Main Verse:
Hebrews 12: 5-6
“My son, do not think lightly of the Lord’s discipline
    or give up when you are corrected by him.
For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
    and he punishes every son he accepts.” 

Observation:
Our earthly fathers reprimand or punish us when we do something wrong. Just like our fathers here on earth, the Lord has a purpose for correcting us when we make mistakes, and that is because He loves us so much that He wants us to be as holy as Himself. Sometimes, these punishments or afflictions do not come directly from God, but God allows them to happen so that we can be reminded again of His immeasurable love. Therefore, we must delight when the Lord punishes us when we sin. That only means that He loves us and is still walking with us and does not want us to further get hurt or even perish. When the Lord disciplines us, it is his way of showing us that He wants us to stay by His side at all times, or that He wants us to come back to Him. It is God's way of reminding us that "You are my child. I want you to walk in the right path. I do not want you to fall further into sin. So, listen to me and follow me once again." The Lord wants us to be conscious and listen at all times when He disciplines us.  

Application:
As a child, I was punished by my father a few times when I broke his rules. One of his rules was that we should be home before the sun sets. Whenever my sister and I broke this rule, we received a good spanking. I did not understand it at that time. All I thought was that my father did not understand that I still wanted to play and have a good time with my friends. I thought, why are my friends still allowed to play outside even at night? Why does my father not want me to play at night? But as you grow up, you realize that your parents wanted you to be home before night fall because they wanted to make sure that you are comfortably safe at home, in a place where they can watch you more closely, in the four walls of your house where no one can hurt you. And sometimes, they punish us not only because they are mad that we broke that rule, but because they were worried that something had happened to us. They worry because they love us so much that they do not want something bad to happen to us.

If our earthly fathers worry so much about us, how much more our Father in Heaven? The Lord punishes us because He loves us so much. He punishes us so that we won't do these mistakes again and get hurt. He punishes us so that we do not get tempted again to leave the Lord's side, where there is joy, and peace, and love, and grace. When we live our lives away from God's side, it is easy for us to make mistakes and sin. But when we stick with God, God will be there to protect us and remind us so we can live a life of righteousness and peace.

Prayer:
Father, forgive me for being stubborn and for breaking your heart. Help me have a heart that strives to always follow your word. Thank you for watching closely over me and for disciplining me. AMEN.