Psalm 89:28-37 says, "I will love him (David) and be kind to him forever; my covenant with him will never end. I will preserve an heir for him; his throne will be as endless as the days of heaven. But if his descendants forsake my instructions and fail to obey my regulations, if they do not obey my decrees and fail to keep my commands, then I will punish their sin with the rod, and their disobedience with beating. But I will never stop loving him nor fail to keep my promise to him. No, I will not break my covenant; I will not take back a single word I said. I have sworn an oath to David, and in my holiness I cannot lie: His dynasty will go on forever; his kingdom will endure as the sun. It will be as eternal as the moon, my faithful witness in the sky!" When God chose David to be the king of Israel, He chose David based on His love for him. In addition, when God chose David to be the King of Israel, He promised, according to His holiness, that David's throne would continue through his descendants. God fulfilled His promise through our Lord Jesus because Jesus was born from the line of King David. Both Mary and Joseph came from the line of Joseph (Matthew 1: 1-17; Luke 3:21-37). Although David's descendants were unfaithful to God, God kept His promise to David. God indeed disciplined David's sons because of their rebellion, but God was looking into the future when our Lord Jesus would be born as the King of Kings.
Just as God chose David to be the King of Israel out of His love for Him, God also chose us as His children because of our faith in our Lord Jesus (John 1:12). All of us who believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior are God's children, and God will forever love us. However, He doesn't tolerate our sins. He disciplines us when we choose to rebel against Him. I remember growing up. I got spanked by my father a lot because of my disobedience. I thought that my father didn't love me when I was being disciplined, but later on in my life, as I got older, I realized that my father spanked me because he loved me. My father hurt me to teach me something important: bad behaviors and actions have bad consequences, so it made me careful with my decisions and helped me to be a better person. I appreciate now that my father disciplined me when I was a bad kid, and I appreciate our Heavenly Father when He disciplines me when I disobey Him because He is protecting me to destroy my life with sin.
Let us be thankful that we have a Heavenly Father who loves us genuinely. His love for us is not superficial because it is based on His holiness. If God loves us dearly, expect to be disciplined when we choose to rebel against Him because God's correction always leads to godliness, which leads to abundant life.
Questions for application: (Think through these questions carefully, meditate on them while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you.) When did I become God's children? What is God's purpose when He disciplines me? How should I live my life knowing that God loves me?
Take a moment to write down all your worries today. Then, lift them up to God in prayer, surrendering them to His will and trusting in His guidance.
Prayer:
Dear Father in Heaven, thank you for adopting me as your child when I believed in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Thank you for your constant love for me. You discipline me because you love me. You are always watching over me and always want the best for me. Please continue to guard my heart from straying from you and always lead me to your ways. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
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