Christian Living

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"The Lord chastens those whom He loves". The next time you find yourself reaping unfavorable consequences, don't grovel over it. It could well be the Lord chastising you.

I believe it was David who said, "It was good for me that I had been afflicted." "Chastisement yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness", especially if you know how to be thankful for it. Because, "All things happen for the good to those who love the Lord."

I like the way Joel Osteen, the senior Pastor at Lakewood Church in Houston, TX puts it -- "Things don't happen to us, they happen for us."

When the Lord chastens us, He is often trying to keep us from hurting ourselves, just as earthly parent do their children. And in some extreme cases, he's actually trying to save our lives.

He wants to convict our hearts of the wrong thing we have done and bring us to repentance of our sin. As our Heavenly Father, we can never outgrow the need for His chastisement to help steer us in the right direction if we seem to be getting off track because, "We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God."

The Bible says, "Faithful are the wounds of a friend." Proverbs 27:6 "Let the righteous strike me; it shall be a kindness. Let him rebuke me; it shall be an excellent oil; let my heart not refuse it." Psalms 141:5 Obviously, in some cases the Lord uses those around us to execute His chastisement.

Chastisement is not meant to feel good, sometimes love must be tough. Learn to receive correction with gratitude, in order that our character can begin to reflect God's grace.

KJB
"For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged."

"But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world."


Copyright 2008

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