“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.” Hebrews 12:11
Jonah thought his plan was going to work. Although God told him to go to the wicked city of Nineveh, he decided to head in the other direction. Result? While inside the big fish, Jonah prayed for forgiveness. Moses’ sister Miriam became sinfully jealous of her brother. Result? Her skin became infected with leprosy. Zechariah doubted when told he was going to have a son. Result? He could no longer speak. There come times in every believer’s life when they need God’s discipline.
God loves us. He always will love us and wants us to be his obedient children. Hebrews 12:6 assures us, “The Lord disciplines the one he loves.” There are times when, because of his love, God allows bad things to come our way in order to bring us back into his family. We should be thankful for that blessing. Job 5:17 says, “Blessed is the one whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.” Psalm 94:12 continues, “Blessed is the one you discipline, LORD, the one you teach from your law.” And no matter how perfect someone may seem, no one escapes God’s discipline. Hebrews 12:8 tells us, “Everyone undergoes discipline.”
Here we must be careful to realize the difference between God’s angry punishment and loving discipline. God disciplines his children because he doesn’t want to lose them, but he metes out angry punishment on the wicked world. Job 34:26 says, “He punishes them for their wickedness where everyone can see them.”
What should be our attitude when God disciplines us? “Listen to advice and accept discipline” (Proverbs 19:20). Remember that every good “disciple” receives “discipline”!
From Precious Words of the Bible by Reynold R. Kremer