AUGUST 23, 2012
A Picture Of Him
Read: Hebrews 12:3-11
Whom the Lord loves He
chastens. —Hebrews 12:6
One day my son
uncapped an orange marker and drew a picture of
his father. His toddler’s
rendering featured eyes, a nose, and a mouth,
all inside of a circle on top of
two long sticks (he informed me that
those were the legs). Although my little
boy scored high marks for
effort, his picture didn’t quite capture the
specifics that would have
created a close likeness to my husband: blue eyes, a
confident smile,
and silver-flecked hair.
As God’s children, we
sometimes create images of our heavenly
Father that aren’t accurate. We may
view God as unloving when He
corrects sinful patterns in our lives. And because
discipline is painful
(Heb. 12:11), we may assume that God’s correction is a
form of divine
revenge or the result of His anger. In reality, it is proof of
His love for
us. The Bible says, “Whom the Lord loves He chastens” (v.6). He
disciplines us for our benefit, so that we “may be partakers of His
holiness”
(v.10) and experience the peace that comes from right
living (v.11).
Today, if you are
facing God’s discipline, remember that He isn’t
peering down at you with an
angry scowl or shaking a vengeful fist.
Picture Him as a concerned Father,
lovingly correcting His child in
whom He delights (Prov. 3:12).
Lord,
when I sin and You discipline me,
help
me to see it’s Your love in action. May Your loving
discipline
mold and shape my character
so
that I become more and more like You. Amen.
God’s hand of
discipline is a hand of love.
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
