December 5                                   Zech 11 - 14

CHASTISEMENT

MEMORISE: ‘My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.’ (Prov 3: 11-12)
READ: Proverbs 3: 11- 12

‘Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O LORD, and teachest him out of thy law; That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pir be digged for the wicked’ (Ps 94: 12- 13). As a father corrects his children, god also corrects his own. Are you a child of the king? If you are, expect him to correct you when you are wrong. He has the spiritual and moral duty to do so. When you make a mistake, and God corrects you, admit your fault immediately and make amends, so that you do not run into trouble further down the line. God created everything, even the waster to destroy. He has reserved the wicked for the day of trouble (Prov 16:4).

‘My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth’ (Prov 3: 11-12). A child who does not accept correction has already made a choice for destruction. There are some Christians who are too proud to accept that they make mistakes. Some cannot stand being disciplined by the leader. They would rather leave the church for some unknown place than stay behind to receive their correction. People who refuse to humbly submit to correction under God are like bastards, not sons. When you revolt against God’s ordained authority, because you do not like to be disciplined, you risk being cut off from the father, like a branch that is separated from a tree. Such a person will soon begin to wither.

Proverbs 13:18 says shame and poverty will be the portion of those who refuse correction. This poverty refers to spiritual poverty. Today many people do no want to hear the truth anymore. If you refuse the truth of God’s Word, you will become spiritually impoverished. If you refuse the truth, Satan will give you counterfeit goods. He will give you fake salvation, fake healing and fake prosperity. Stick to the truth and insist on the real thing. Welcome any correction. It is for your own good.

ACTION POINT
If you say you are a son and not a bastard, think about how
willingly and quickly do you receive correction?