Love Expressed Through Pain

Daily Devotional – Tuesday, March 23, 2021

Blessed is the one whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.

Job 5:17 (NIV)

One of the saddest news stories I ever watched was a mother rejoicing over the death of her son, who had been killed by the police during an armed robbery.  She claimed her boy had persisted in crime despite uncountable warnings.  

Eliphaz, one of Job’s friends, expressed a fundamental principle of faith that we should heed. “Blessed is the one whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.”

(Job 5:17).

Unlike the dead boys’ mother, God does not rejoice when a sinner dies. However, like a loving mom, God does not cease to warn us against indulging in sin. For example, Jesus publicly rebuked Peter, John and James. The result? They became pillars of Christianity.  

Eliphaz gave a powerful reason why we should accept God’s correction. “For he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal” (v. 18). God does not discipline us for fun. Affliction and suffering are God’s instruments for refining us into genuine Christians.  

Are you going through a hard time because you made wrong decisions in the past? Have you undergone the humiliation of admitting you are wrong and asking others to forgive you? Are you suffering the consequences of neglecting your responsibilities?

Well, it is only for a short while, for you to learn the important lessons He wants to teach you. Jesus says, “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.” Revelation 3:19.

If He did not love you, He would not correct you. You are blessed when you accept God’s discipline.

Father, thank you for loving me enough to correct me when I rebel against you.