Message Library

God’s Discipline

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Behold, how happy is the man whom God reproves, So do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.

Job 5:17

God disciplines us to mold us to the image of his Son, and we should be glad he disciplines us because living like Jesus is the best possible life we can have.  God needs to discipline every Christian because no one is perfect. Do we pray for God to change us to be more like Jesus?

I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. (1 Corinthians 4:3-4) We may have a clear conscience about our Christian life, but we don’t see our life as Christ sees our life. The apostle Paul said he had a clear conscience, but that doesn’t make him innocent.

If we truly want the Lord to change us to be more like Jesus, then we should pray everyday that he changes anything in our life that doesn’t please him or show us something he needs to change in us to be more like Jesus.  This is necessary because we are all biased and we can justify our Christian life. We must pray for the Lord to change anything in us that He needs to be changed. We will pray for discipline to our last day because we will become more like Jesus to our last breath.  Praying for discipline reveals to the Lord that we desire to live as Jesus lived. Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. (1 John 2:6)

The Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son. (Hebrews 12:6) The Lord disciplines the ones he loves, so hopefully the Lord will discipline us.  The Lord will discipline us by having the Spirit convict us. If we ignore the Spirit because of our own justification, he will take a more serious approach. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.  (2 Corinthians 12:7) God allowed Satan to place a thorn in Paul’s flesh to kill his pride that came from being a Pharisee. The Lord may release Satan to place a thorn in our flesh with the goal of changing us.  Just as God gave Satan the authority to place physical problems to change Job. It far better for us to pray for the Lord to discipline us rather than ignore discipline and need more drastic discipline.

Today, pray that the Lord will make you more like Jesus and change anything in your life that is not pleasing to Him. Always pray for God to judge your Christian life, and don’t wait until final judgment when Christ returns.

Prayer:  Lord, change me to be more like Jesus and change anything in my life that doesn’t please you.  Guide me in the Spirit so my life will always be more pleasing to you.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.