“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 .” Proverbs 3:11-12
Do not despise, or make light of, the chastening hand of God in your life.
How does one make light of God’s correction, when it obviously feels so heavy? By not recognizing His hand in the trial, or by not confessing its benefit even when you may not understand it, or by not acknowledging your need for it when it comes.
Sometimes God chastens and corrects us in order to circumvent worldly ambitions; at other times it may be in order to remove self-righteous pride, or self-sufficient delusions. Although you may not be walking in any known or gross sin at the moment, ask yourself this question: “have I no pride to destroy?!”
It is because God is not weary of you that He chastens you; so do not grow weary of Him. You see, the child of God is never punished, because of Christ’s work on the cross (he took our punishment for us). However, the child of God is always corrected, because of Christ’s work on the cross — God will not give up His work of sanctification because Christ has made us eternally His.
God does not delight in your suffering, but He does delight in you, through Christ, and so He sends suffering in order to shape and mold you into the image of Christ.
Dear believer, there is nothing virtuous or good about the suffering you are facing right now. But there is virtue and goodness in the One who sends it.(Baptist Bible Hour)
