March 19 – The Struggle Toward Godliness (Proverbs 3:1-12)

“Do not despise the Lord’s discipline and do not resent His rebuke.”(Proverbs 3:11)

IN WORD:
Our natural reaction to rebuke — from anyone, even God — is to get offended. We don’t want anyone telling us what to do, and we don’t think anyone has the right to do so. We know God does, of course, but we think He’s always on our side. When He works through others to correct us, we tell them our relationship with Him is personal and they have no business interfering. When He works through our circumstances, we cry out our whys without considering that He might be looking for a change in our hearts. We have a hard time accepting correction.
This is human nature, of course. We flee any kind of discomfort. We spend most of our lives trying to become a little more comfortable, to make things a little bit easier, to climb a little bit higher, avoiding pain and hardship at all costs. And when it’s personal — like a rebuke — we treat it like a contagion. We’ll even break friendships with people who remind us of our shortcomings, however gently they may do it. We are creatures looking for superficial peace and comfort.
We cannot afford that luxury as disciples. We begin as abject sinners and we want to end up as redeemed children of God. What did we expect? Do we think we can grow from one to the other without a painful shock to our system? We can’t. We must endure a lot of correction along the way. Otherwise, we can never be remade into His image.

IN DEED:
Our problem is confusing God’s rebuke with His disapproval. We must understand that His correction is never to condemn and always to edify. It’s a painful edification, but it is well worth it. One day we’ll stand in eternity and pour undying gratitude at His feet for the difficult things we went through and the discipline He imposed on us. It will have made us more gloriously radiant in the everlasting Kingdom. Temporal pain for eternal blessing is a bargain. Always cooperate with His discipline, and thank Him for its promise.

“Discipline and love are not antithetical; one is a function of the other.” -Dr. James Dobson-