Heed the Rebuke

- Pastor Daniel Garrison

“…the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastens everyone He accepts as His son.” - Hebrews 12:6 (NIV)

At first glance, the topic of God’s judgment doesn’t seem all that appealing. When you have things like His forgiveness, blessing, favor, and promise, those things tend to get focused on more than His rebuke, discipline, and judgment. Understandably, one of these piles is things to enjoy and look forward to. The other sounds painful and unpleasant. But hear me out; the latter ought to be our focus as it leads to even greater levels of the former.

Discipline yourself. Someone who has reached a goal or accomplished something great will point to how they disciplined themselves. Better time management, better diet, better study. Good for them! They saw an opportunity for growth and made a change; now, look at the rewards.

God’s discipline. We tend to resist God’s direction and discipline. Yet we mistake His coaching and encouragement for chastisement and punishment. All mentors and coaches will highlight what needs to be tightened to improve the outcome. God is no different. He is looking to see us improve SO THAT we may enjoy more significant levels of blessing, favor, etc.

We need to lean into the LORD’s discipline. He may be encouraging a small behavior change… He may be promoting a lifestyle change… He may be encouraging an act of forgiveness or repentance. Instead of dragging our feet or, even worse, responding poorly to the LORD’s coaching, let’s embrace it as an athlete would embrace direction from a coach. Dr. James Robertson once prayed, “Judge me severely and correct me harshly that I may serve You more perfectly.” Imagine what our lives would look like if we prayed like that and meant it.

Make a Difference:

Take the discipline of the LORD as a challenge to be overcome. Look for opportunities to be obedient to His direction. It will stretch you, BUT you, your family, and your friends will be better off for your diligence.

As You Read:

Remember that Jeremiah is telling the nation that their exile is a part of the coming rebuke. If we are to heed the rebuke, we need to listen when God allows consequences to come our way. Ask God what He is trying to say to you.