“Blessed is he man whom God corrects; so do
not despise the discipline of the almighty.
For he wounds, but he also binds up; he
injures, but his hands also heals.
Job 5:17-18 (NIV)
Blessed has
several meanings. Among them is the word ‘fortunate.’ God chastises those He
loves. We are not to despise discipline because when God uses it we learn about
Him and even about ourselves.
We learn
that He watches over us and teaches us to be mindful of our future actions. In
addition, we learn that we NEED His strength to get through each part of each
day.
There
are times that God’s discipline causes us pain but He also soothes the hurt.
Having to go through the process of His correcting us might make us feel very
low; however, when He deems us ready, He lifts us up. We learn to be humble
during the time of the Lord’s chastisement.
Just as
a broken bone heals and becomes stronger than it was before, when we respond
positively to God’s discipline, we become stronger people. In our 21st
Century world, we see people whose mannerisms and words play to the crowd, an
attempt to win the masses over to his or her way of thinking. As believers, we
have to be aware of the pitfalls of allowing those people to influence us in a
worldly way. God will deal with us as a people-group in ways that only he can.
Thanks for this post Cecelia, sickness and sin are related because they are the result of the Fall. But Jesus offered His blood for both problems, He forgives and He heals. Hallelujah!
ReplyDeleteMarja: Yes, Hallelujah for his healing of our sinful ways.
DeleteHi Cecelia! Of course, I can relate to your broken bone analogy!
ReplyDeleteI never like to be disciplined, but anyone, let alone God. Even though being a disciple means that I am in line for it, I wish I could just always do the right things.
It's good to know that even if I am to face trials, He will be with me. He provides the grace to stay in, and eventually, the window to get out. Help me learn from you Lord!
Blessings,
Ceil
Ceil: I can relate to all you say. I never liked being disciplined but I am a better person because of God's discipline.
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