“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)

“The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth.” Psalms 145:18

When it seems that God is far away, ask yourself this question–“Who moved?” Dear friend we are usually as close to God as we want to be. Don’t blame God when it seems that He has forgotten you. Our text tells us how we can regain that closeness to the Lord. If you want live with an awareness of God’s presence pray!

James Smith wrote: “Real prayer is calling upon God. He is our Father: we are His children. We have nothing; He has all things to bestow, and is willing to give them. From a sense of need, we call on the Lord for a supply; from a sense of weakness, we call on Him for strength; from a sense of guilt, we call on Him for pardon. Being diseased, we cry for health; being troubled, for comfort and peace; being in distress, for relief and deliverance. We go out of self to Jesus, accepting His invitation, to plead His promise, and find Him faithful. Our God is always near the praying soul, not merely as the omnipresent Jehovah, but as our faithful Friend. He is near us, lovingly to listen to what we have to lay before Him; mercifully to relieve our miseries, be they what they may; graciously to help in every difficulty or danger. Beloved, our God is near us. He is attentive to us this morning; let us lay all our concerns before Him: He loves to listen to the often-told tale; He has patience with us, blessings for us, and will do us good.”

“ And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.”–1 Cor. 12:21

Each member has its place in the body. So each Christian has his own place in the Church, and his own duties. We need never envy anyone the gift he possesses. That is his gift, and we have ours. Ours may not seem as great or as important as his — but that need not concern us. We are responsible only for what God has given us — and all we have to do is to make the fullest possible use of it. If another’s gift is more brilliant than ours — then the other has a greater responsibility than we have, and we need not envy him. Besides, we do not know what particular gift is most important, or does most for the upbuilding of Christ’s kingdom.

Perhaps it means more to be able to pray well, than to speak well. Power with God may be a mightier factor in doing good than power over men. It may be that the quietest people, who are not often heard of, who work obscurely and without fame, are quite as well known in Heaven and as highly honored — as those who are in conspicuous positions and receive praise from men.

“But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal ” 1 Corinthians 12:7 God knows where He wants us and what He wants us to do. We please Him best and do the best work, when we cheerfully accept our place, however lowly, and do sweetly and as well as we can, the work He has given us to do. It ought to impart zest to the humblest calling, to know that that and not something else is our part in the divine allotment of duty. There can be nothing greater in this world for anyone, than the doing of God’s will. We make the most of our life, when we accept our own place and do well our own work. We work then with God, and we shall not fail either of His help or of His reward.( JR Miller)

“—-remember the Lord.” Nehemiah 4:14 HE is the great author of your being, and the only proper object of your faith, fear, and worship. Remember the promises He has made, the deliverances He has wrought, the blessings He has conferred, the invitations He has given, and the relations He now fills. Remember Him in calamity, to trust Him; in prosperity, to praise Him; in danger, to call upon Him; in difficulty, to expect His interference. Remember to obey His commands; to attend to His exhortations; to keep His company; to seek His blessings; and to aim at His glory in all you do. Remember Him, for it is your duty; it is your privilege. Remember Him, in order to strengthen your faith; as an antidote to your fears; as a source of encouragement to your souls; and as a preventative to sin. Remember He is holy, just, and good; and He will be glorified in all them that draw nigh unto Him. Whatever or whoever you forget, always “REMEMBER THE LORD.” He is your life, your strength, your food, your portion, your God, your all. Remember Him, for He never forgets you; cleave to Him, for He will never forsake you.(James Smith, 1840)