Thursday, January 24, 2013

Fatherly Discipline


The Bible teaches us that discipline is something that a loving father does. As parents, we recognize this. When we discipline our children, whether with corrective teaching or the sin squashing swats of the spanking spoon, we know that we are showing them love and teaching them a path that will lead them to peace and joy.
         As adults, we often fail to see this. When loving friends confront us, we resist and justify. If we persist in this resistance, our hearts grow hard to correction and a hard stubborn heart is not a receptive place for God’s Spirit.
Thus, the Lord, Himself, will bring direct correction into our lives. Sometimes, it is just enough to get our attention so that we straighten up. If we continue to resist Him then we run the risk of having Him let us run headlong into our sin. The rebellious heart loves this, thinking it is freedom but the righteous man fears the withdrawing of God’s Spirit of conviction and correction, knowing that this leads to slavery to sin.
         So, we need to come to the Lord humbly, heeding His voice in friends, the elders, the pastor, and His Spirit, so that we are easily corrected and do not justify ourselves in our sins.

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