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People who accept discipline are on the pathway to life, but those who ignore correction will go astray. Proverbs 10:17
No one likes discipline. Let’s face it. Discipline is hard, painful and sometimes embarrassing.
Unfortunately, discipline is often confused with punishment and for good reason. Both are painful. Both are often the result of our own decisions, regardless of the intent of those choices.
Psychologists define the difference as: “Discipline means “to teach,” while punishment means “to correct or cause pain.”
Punishment’s goal is to ‘make you pay’ for your crime. Discipline guides you to restoration.
Disciple is done in love; punishment is done in anger.
Discipline requires relationship; punishment does not.
Discipline results in life-long lessons, punishment causes short term results and life-long scars.
Does God punish or discipline?
All have sinned against God. All deserve his punishment, but Jesus took that punishment on the cross.
God will discipline us because he wants us to be the best we can be. It may be painful, but his discipline is always done in love and for our good.
Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Romans 5:1
All the ‘Bible people’ had a dark side. If a background check were given to any of them, it would come up dirty.
Adam was a man who failed to take leadership.
Abraham slept with his wife’s servant girl.
David was a lust-filled, murderous, absentee father.
Samson was arrogant.
Isaiah struggled with his mouth.
All of these men and more had a part of their lives which betrayed the picture of perfection we’d like to elevate them to.
Yet, time and again, God refers to these men as his friends and men after his own heart. They were far from perfect. But God has a tendency to use imperfect people for amazing results.
The natural human tendency when we love someone is to do things that please them. Human love is performance based, Godly love is positionally based.
Human love lives or dies based on what you do. God’s love perseveres because of what he did through Jesus.
In Jesus we have peace with God. That’s positional. Sin in our lives may rob us of the peace OF God, but not peace with God.
Be thankful that peace with God isn’t dependent on your actions but on his action. We fail. We doubt. We procrastinate. But he remains faithful.
For you have heard my vows, O God. You have given me an inheritance reserved for those who fear your name. Psalms 61:5
Ever made a promise to God only to fail to keep it? Afterwards you may struggle with guilt and shame. You may wonder if this Christian life is really worth it because your prayers don’t seem to do any good and try as you might to be better you still lose your temper, say words you regret, and have thoughts and attitudes you can’t seem to get rid of?
David writes about his struggles with knowing for sure that God hears him. While he attests to God’s protection and security, he knows he is unable to uphold any part of a bargain he may have made with God. Still, he knows God’s love goes beyond his ability to deserve it.
As he continues his prayer before God, he writes, “For you have heard my vows, O God. You have given me an inheritance reserved for those who fear your name.” (Psalms 61:5) He asks God to remember the vows he made, even though he knows he’s broken those vows many times.
He thanks God for the inheritance reserved for him because even in his failures, he reveres God. He knows his value isn’t dependent on his vows but on His God.
Don’t let your failures in life keep you from remembering your inheritance! Through Jesus your salvation is secure.
From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety, Psalms 61:2
One of our favorite places on earth is a small campground in Northern MN. Just miles from the Canadian border it seems totally isolated from the rest of the world. To get cellphone signal requires a 20 minute drive. Groceries? 45 minutes.
The saying, ‘it’s not the end of the world but you can see if from there’ is close to reality! You are totally isolated. Totally alone.
Have you ever felt like that in prayer? Oh, to be sure you know, theologically speaking, God is right beside you. You know theologically speaking, His Holy Spirit indwells you.
But again, theologically and practicality sometimes seem miles apart. In Psalm 61:2 David feels totally alone. Whether he is miles from ‘home’ physically or spiritually is up for conjecture. But emotionally speaking? That’s another story. He’s alone.
He seems surrounded by wilderness (insert wild animals, feeling lost, feeling completely helpless). But even in this hard time he has hope. In the distance he sees a rock, an outcropping high above his issues. Better yet, he knows that rock is his fortress, his place of safety, his place of salvation.
Maybe you are at the end of your earth right now. Maybe the answers to your marriage, your finances, the fear of tomorrow are more than you can bear. Maybe those around you seem removed from helping you sort things out. Look to the rock. Seek His guidance through the wilderness. In Him is security and rest for your soul.
He has paid a full ransom for his people. He has guaranteed his covenant with them forever. What a holy, awe-inspiring name he has! Psalms 111:9
You hear about it on the news all too often. A life is snatched from the street. Someone has been kidnapped. People kidnap others for a variety of reasons and none of them are good.
The brutal reality is that some are kidnapped and subsequently murdered after whatever evil intent the kidnapper had was satisfied. Some have been ‘captured’ and held as pets. Others have had a price put on their heads. Financial gain without concern for the victims is the attitude of these ruthless criminals.
The Psalmist reminds us that our ransom has been paid in full! In order to be ransomed I’d have to be kidnapped. Taken against my will by someone who intends to do me harm and doesn’t care about me.
Our great enemy, Satan, has kidnapped us through the sin nature each of us is born with. We are alive, shackled and in danger. A price has been put on our head. A price no one in this world has the amount to pay.
Make no mistake about it. Our kidnapper, Satan, knows his limits. He knows he has no power to take our lives, but he also knows he can make our lives miserable with broken relationships, fear, war, hate, disease, natural disasters and a variety of other painful experiences.
That’s how Jesus found us. But through his death and resurrection he paid for my release! Don’t allow the schemes of our ruthless kidnapper keep you from experiencing the freedom we have in Jesus! You don’t deserve this freedom, but he paid your ransom out of unconditional love!
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 