Revelations 3:19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.
God loves all people. God’s rebuke and disciple come through love. This verse echoes the thoughts of Hebrews 12:4-13. This rebuke and discipline can come in many forms and ways. We cannot simply blame God for the bad things that happen in our lives. Can God use those bad things to teach us things? I think so. Bad times should draw our attention back to God especially in our faith and reliance on God to help us through those times. The idea of “bad things” is a relative thought. What we may perceive as bad because it causes us pain or ruins our selfish ambitions may actually be good in the larger scheme of things. God works on a higher plane than we could ever understand.
The affect of God’s discipline in whatever form it comes should be repentance. Experiencing pain, hardship, or suffering because of our sinful actions should serve as a warning about the eternal consequences of sin. Sin has consequences in this world which serve to warn us of the eternal consequences of our choices. The answer to this is to repent. John writes in 1 John 1:9 that we need to confess our sins, acknowledge them before God, so that we may experience forgiveness and cleansing. Repentance is the answer for the lukewarm, weakly committed Laodiceans and for us as we fall into temptation.
For older posts, click here.