Daring to Discipline - Martin Wiles

I know, O Lord, that your regulations are fair; you disciplined me because I needed it. Psalm 119:75 NLT

I didn’t enjoy getting it as a child, giving it as a parent, or administering it as a teacher . . . but daring to discipline had to be done.

My parents were strict disciplinarians. My father thought about what disciplinary methods would work best. My mother often disciplined out of anger. As a parent, I didn’t enjoy disciplining my children, but it was necessary if I expected them to stay on track. Like me, they had a sinful bent. I tried various techniques, some identical to the ones my parents had used on me. Some worked; others didn’t. I’ve also found discipline necessary as a teacher of middle school students. Many of them have that same tendency to buck the rules.

The writer knew God’s regulations were fair, but he tended to stray from them. When God sent discipline, he knew it was because he needed it.

I was born with sinful tendencies. Everyone else is too. These tendencies make me want to test the limits. I tried them as a child and as a teenager. And there have been times I’ve done the same as an adult. Discipline always followed when I was caught.

I’ve also tested God’s limitations. Had I written the rules, I may have added or subtracted a few. But I didn’t. God did. I know his laws are fair, and he gives them so I can truly enjoy life. As my parents continually reminded me that they knew what was best for me—though I doubted it at the time, so God reminds me of the same.

God knows what it will take for us to experience a full and fruitful life and established the rules accordingly. When we break them, he disciplines. We may not like it, but deep down inside, we know his discipline is for our good, as are his boundaries. If we respond by learning the lesson, life will be more pleasurable.

When God sends discipline into your life, remember that He loves You and desires what’s best for you.

Prayer: Father, though we don’t enjoy it now, we thank You for the love You demonstrate through discipline. 

Tweetable: How do you respond to God's discipline? 

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