
Psalm 94:12,14 "Blessed is the man You discipline, O Lord, the man You teach from Your law;...For the Lord will not reject His people."
Webster's dictionary defines the verb discipline as "to punish and to teach." It is interesting that a word that has as its root the idea of molding a person through instruction should, over the years, acquire the idea of punishment as its primary definition.
In our text, the psalmist tells us that we are blessed when we are disciplined by God. Does he mean that we are punished by God? Hardly! As children dearly loved by Him, He may chastise us--and we certainly may need it! But God does not punish us Christians in anger. He has already vented His wrath on His own Son, our Lord Jesus, who willingly went to the cross so that we would be spared the punishment our sins deserve. This is divine grace at its best!
And now, having been reconciled to our heavenly Father, we can truly enjoy the blessings He has in store for us and live secure in the fact that we are loved by Him -- loved so much that He will never reject or forsake us, so much that He will be by our side constantly to watch over us and keep us safe.
PRAYER: Thank You, Lord, for being gracious to us in Christ and for watching over us. Amen.
(Taken from "Words of Promise," copyright 1996, Concordia Publishing House (out of print). For information on other devotional materials, call 1-800-325-3040.)
Today's Bible Readings: 1 Samuel 22 Psalms 56 Luke 22:1-23
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