tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52713177577934682092024-09-24T10:39:10.496-07:00Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5271317757793468209.post-1266870210595383202008-12-23T20:28:00.000-08:002008-12-23T20:41:02.992-08:00"And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him: For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth." Hebrews 12:5-6<br /><br />Nobody likes to be corrected. We didn't like it when we were children at home or at school. We don't like it at work as adults. And we sure don't like it when those over us in the Lord set us straight. Our typical response is to justify our actions rather than submit to the correction. If this fails to achieve the desired effect, we often resort to blaming our corrector, noting his complete lack of understanding as well as his many character flaws. When we do this, we miss the opportunity to learn from our mistakes and improve as a human being.<br /><br />How do we react when God is doing the correcting? God the Father is the only eternally righteous and perfect judge. His judgements are exact and immutable, and His verdicts are final. He knows our innermost being. He even knows whether we give the carnal as much preeminence as the holy. So when the Holy Ghost reproves us of our error, there is no hiding or justifying our actions. It IS our fault or the Spirit would not be dealing with our hearts in such an inescapable way. It is embarrassing and it hurts and the only way to make it go away is to submit to the correction and learn from it.<br /><br />Why does God need to correct us at all? After all, we are saved, sanctified, and filled with the Holy Ghost. Aren't we perfect now? The problem is our humanity, this fleshly body that we live in here on earth. Paul wrestled with it. Our Lord Himself wrestled with it in the garden at Gethsemane. We need the correction of God to bring our bodies into subjection to the will of God in our lives.<br /><br />God corrects us because He loves us. After all, we are His children (Romans 8:15-16) and just as an earthly father will correct his son so that he knows how to behave as a man when he grows up, God corrects us so that we know how to live in spiritual perfection. He wants every man to go to heaven to be with Him forever and He has done everything to ensure that we get there. To this end He sent His only Son to be the perfect payment for our sins. He shed His precious blood to sanctify us holy, set apart, and meet for the Master's use. He sent the Holy Ghost to lead us into all truth. We have everything we need to live perfect and holy in this world, including a Father who loves us enough to spank us from time to time.<br /><br />Do you need a whupping boy?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5271317757793468209.post-12063036036739440392008-11-28T12:30:00.001-08:002008-11-28T12:30:54.396-08:00This is the first test for this Ministry's Blog. In the future you'll be able to see words of wisdom from the Ministry Coordinator here.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0