Do Not Despise God's Discipline

The Bible is very clear. God disciplines us because He loves us. He does it to help us. He corrects us for our own good. Therefore, we can be happy when we are reproved by God. (Job 5:17-18) That is what Job's friend, Eliphaz, told Job. He was assuming that Job's trouble was the reproof of God for sins. He was wrong about that, as were all of Job's friends, but he was right about this. When God inflicts pain to help us, He also gives us relief as we turn to Him. When He wounds us, His hands are quick to heal the repentant. Therefore, the reproof of God is not a bad thing for us, but a very good thing.

People do not like pain. We want to avoid all pain and suffering, but pain has a beneficial effect on us. It makes us think deeply and consider the source and solution for the pain. If we have pain in a relationship, we are forced to consider why and to look for ways to improve the relationship. When we have financial pain, we are brought to the point of having to examine what caused the problems and how to keep them from happening again. When God inflicts us with pain for our sins, we are stopped in our tracks, so we will confess those sins, repent, and do His will. When we do that, God is right there to give us relief. He can turn our sins into a good thing by His reproof. When He wounds us, because we have failed to do His will, yes, we hurt, but we can make it right with Him and His very hands will heal us. What a Loving Father we have!

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Tomorrow, I intend to read Job 6-9.