The purpose of God’s discipline is not alienation but reconciliation, that our restless hearts may find contentment not in our circumstances but his presence. And in his presence, our hearts are kindled in grateful praise of the One who loves us most. And so, as we gather to worship the Lord in spirit and truth (John 4:24), as the children of God, we trust the loving discipline of our Father, because “the Lord disciplines the one he loves” (Heb. 12:6a).
Tag Archives: Discipline
The Grace of Discipline
David was a man after God’s own heart and yet was guilty of adultery and murder. The Lord chose David to be king, anointed him to serve, established his kingdom, promised a perpetual throne, and yet allowed the rebellion of David’s son, Absalom, to threaten it all. The rise and fall and rise again story of David is a familiar one, partly because of the historical record but also the poetic. We know what happened, but we also know how it felt. The story is recorded in 2 Samuel, and the third psalm accompanies it, as David wrote it during Absalom’s attempted coup. The third is a short psalm that describes the Lord’s salvation of David from his foes amidst the turmoil of a civil war. What the specific account in 2 Samuel and the third psalm do not reveal is that the rebellion was in fulfillment of what God promised.
Planter, Pastor, Preacher 