Delight In God's Discipline..................... Not Today, God!

I am currently working through a Bible study called, "Walking By Faith, Lessons Learned In The Dark" by Jennifer Rothschild.  My lesson today was titled, "Delight in the Discipline That Strengthens".    One of the questions in the lesson asked me to identify an area of my life where I needed God's discipline.  Uuuuhhhh, I thought, I have experienced God's discipline plenty of times in the past, but right now, I don't see an area in my life that God is working on disciplining me.  

I so love God's sense of humor!  God used the very next verse that I read, to discipline me.  LOL!   The verse was Proverbs 19:11, "A man's wisdom gives him patience, it is to his glory to overlook an offense."  I had been offended in the past and I thought I had overlooked it, but this past Saturday I was reminded of the offense and now, looking back on the incident, God showed me that I had not overlooked it.   Oops! 

At that point, I realized that I needed to work on what God was disciplining me on, so I decided to  go to my Concordance and look up every verse in the Bible on "offense".   The first verse I found was Proverbs 17:9 which says, "He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends."  Wow, I thought, that is pretty powerful.  Isn't Love the whole message of the Gospel?  Isn't Love what God is callling me to?  Love the Lord your God.....love your neighbor.....love good.....love your enemies.....love your wives.....love your brother.....love one another.....the fruit of the Spirit is love.....love never fails.....the GREATEST of these is love and on and on and on.  My Concordance listed 3 pages in the Bible where the word "Love" is found. 

Through this search of the word "offense", God showed me that if I allow myself to take offense with others, that the love He wants to show them through me cannot come through.  God showed me that if I allow myself to take offense with others, I take the focus off of His  love and put the focus on myself and my lack of love.  God showed me that if I allow myself to take offense with others, I damage my testimony of God's love.  God really showed me.....

And so, my lesson entitled "Delight in the Discipline That Strengthens" really hit home today.  And Yes, it is true.....God's discipline does strengthen.  I am stronger right now because of His discipline.  He has strenghtened my resolve to love those in my life who may not be so loveable at times, because let's face it, I'm not so loveable at times.  He has strengthened my faith because I see that He loves me so much, He will not allow my sin to go undisciplined.  He has strengthened my love for His Word that convicts me at exactly the time that I need it.  He has strengthened my love for Him!

The last verse God gave me to read this morning was I John 4:19-21 which says, "If anyone says I love God yet hates His brother, he is a liar.  For anyone who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.  And he has given us this command:  Whoever loves God must also love his brother."

And so my friends, I have some work to do.  I have some work to do on myself in letting this past offense go, so that the love of God can flow freely through me.   I have some work to do on myself with future offenses, so that I don't stifle the love of God flowing through me.  I have some work to do..........

I have some work to do.....if you are reading this today and I have offended you in any way, I ask for your forgiveness and that you would grant me the grace that God has granted all of us through His Son, Jesus Christ.  "...it is by grace you have been saved."  Ephesians 2:5

Encouraging You In Chist!

All Praise, Honor and Glory to God!