November 28
"My son,
do not despise the chastening of the Lord,
nor
detest his correction;
for whom the
Lord loves he corrects,
just as a
father the son in whom he DELIGHTS."
Proverbs
3:11-12
A good parent closely guides his/her child, always
watching to apply correction when needed, not in anger or hostility,
but as a caring parent who wants his child to grow in maturity. God
doesn't leave us as babies, and when a person is just coasting along
God will apply pressure where needed to bring the believer out of
complacency and up to a higher level of maturity. The believer's
response therefore should be to give the Lord his/her full attention
and to surrender and cooperate fully in order to grow.
"If
you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons,
for
what son is there whom a father does not chasten?
But
if you are without chastening,
of which all have become
partakers,
then you are illegitimate
and not sons."
Hebrews
12:7-8
Our earthly parent may have chastened us in anger, but
our heavenly Father applies only the needed correction for our
growth. His chastening is from a heart of love for his child. He
loves him too much to leave him as he is.
vs 11:
"Now
no chastening seems to be joyful
for
the present, but painful;
nevertheless,
afterward it yields
the peaceable fruit of righteousness
to
those who have been trained by it."
Let the son or
daughter therefore, surrender his heart to his loving, caring Father
and cooperate fully with the One who loves him perfectly. Let him
take a right attitude and refuse to react incorrectly in anger or
rebellion.
The end result will be beautiful; indeed anyone who weathers God's correction with a right attitude will later rejoice in the growth he will see in himself as the Lord leads him to maturity.
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