DEVOTION – DAY 474

Proverbs 3:11-12 “God’s Discipline”

Proverbs 3:11-12 “My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent His rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those He loves, as a father the son he delights in.”

Some Christians have the mistaken expectation that when they follow Jesus as their Lord, most things in their lives would go smoothly. But that is not what the Bible teaches at all. Instead, the Bible teaches Christians to expect trouble. At times, the trouble comes about because of their Christian beliefs. Sometimes, as the above verses tells us, troubles and sufferings may be because of God’s loving discipline for us, to help correct us. It is a warning that even righteous people are not immune to troubles. There could be times of testing and suffering that God uses to teach His people. These verses were given to encourage Christians to endure sufferings and hardships, to consider them as God’s wise and good discipline for us – just as our own earthly parents may discipline us out of love and concern for us. 

A woman went out to run an errand. In her hurry to get things done, she missed her footing, slipped and fell to the ground. She realized something was wrong when she tried to get up and she felt a sharp pain in her foot. She had to get help to be taken to a nearby medical clinic. She found that she had a small fracture in her foot. Her foot had to be set in a plaster cast to allow the bone fracture to heal naturally. She would be housebound and in crutches for a few months. Her heart sank and she asked the Lord why such an inconvenient accident had happened to her. 

In her quiet time, as she read the Bible, she came across these verses that reminded her that the Lord was teaching her something. She realized that she had always been busy doing things and perhaps, this was God’s way to force her to slow down. She learnt to spend more time reading His Word and to draw closer to Him. She realized that her plastered foot now required her to depend on others to help her to move around. By losing her independence, she had to learn to be dependent upon others, to depend upon the Lord. The Lord provided her a lady who was willing to come by daily to cook for her and her husband. She also learnt to thank the Lord that she only suffered a small fracture. It could have been a worse fall and she could have been hurt more seriously. She had learnt to count her blessings.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we worship you for you are our Loving Father. You discipline and mold us to be more like your Son, the Lord Jesus. Please help us to accept your discipline with grace and to count our many blessings. We humbly ask in the great name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Questions

  1. How do you react when something bad happens to you? Share.
  2. How do these verses help you to gain a fresh perspective about troubles when something bad happens to you?
  3. How have God’s discipline for you in the past helped you to be a more mature Christian? Share
  4. What kind of attitude should Christians have whenever they encounter testing, suffering or troubles? Discuss.