Blessed By Discipline

The other day my son was upset with me because I was going to punish him for something he had done. And, actually, I’ve never known of a child who feels grateful towards a parent who provides the just consequences for their wrong behavior.

Which makes a verse out of today’s reading (Psalm 94) interesting. Verse 12 says, “Blessed is the man you discipline, O LORD, the man you teach from your law…” When Christians start experiencing the painful consequences of their bad decisions, I have never yet heard one say, “Oh good, God is disciplining me. I am blessed. I’m glad for this pain because it will teach me not to make the same mistake again.”

But isn’t that exactly how we should respond? So think about the various pains you’re experiencing in your life. If you were honest and prayed enough about it, could you connect some of that pain to your bad decisions? And, if so, shouldn’t you consider that pain as discipline? And shouldn’t you feel blessed that God loves you enough to teach you in that way?