“For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”
– Hebrews 12:6
If Jesus is your Lord, then you will never, ever experience God’s wrath, punishment, or condemnation. Jesus took 100% of that on Himself when He suffered and died on the cross. The moment you put your faith and trust in your risen Savior, you became new creation and were adopted as God’s beloved child. Which means that God will discipline you when you need it. He loves you too much not to. God will send difficulty into your life whenever you need it to get you back on the road of obedience to Jesus. The road of joy and blessing. The road of deep delight in the Lord.
God’s discipline isn’t punishment. It’s correction. It’s uncomfortable but it won’t destroy you – it shapes and forms you into the likeness of Jesus. It isn’t done out of anger toward you, but out of love. It only lasts as long as necessary to get your attention and move you to turn back to God in confession and repentance. It’s isn’t condemnation, it’s your Father’s invitation to receive yet more of His amazing grace.
Whenever things are hard and you feel like God is punishing you, remember this truth. If you love Jesus and are submitted to His Lordship, you definitely aren’t getting punished. But God may be loving you too much to leave you in some pattern of sin. He may be tapping you on the shoulder to get you to obey the commands of Jesus more completely. He is inviting you to ask Him to reveal sins of commission (what you shouldn’t be doing) or sins of omissions (what you should be doing). Slow down, pray, study the Scriptures, and respond to whatever God reveals. God’s discipline is only temporary, until you’re back on the path God has made for your blessing. The quicker that happens, the quicker a season of discipline ends. #FollowJesus