(Proverbs 3:12) The Lord disciplines those he loves.

Parents discipline their children for their good, so their will, character, and actions will continually be formed as they grow through the many stages toward adulthood.

We correct our children for their good, not to punish them.

We discipline our children because we love them and want what is best for them.

Discipline is a high virtue in every area of life.

No adult accomplishes anything meaningful or succeeds in life except by being disciplined and corrected.

When we live a disciplined life, we continue to grow.

Through discipline, we live a consistent and mature life, living the life God created us to live.

However, when Christians say they want to grow into spiritual maturity, the idea that God disciplines us is often understood as being negative.

This is probably true because we equate discipline with God’s punishment.

But Proverbs 3:12 emphasizes that God disciplines us (corrects us and guides us) because he loves us, not because he is angry with us.

God is for us; he is not against us!

God works in our lives through grace to bring about maturity, so we will become spiritual adults.

When Christians truly want to grow in spiritual wisdom and mature living, they will embrace and love God’s discipline.

It is important that we break the mental equation of discipline and punishment when it comes to growing in our spiritual lives.

Start to think about God’s discipline as the ways he teaches, corrects, and guides us toward growth and healthier Christian living.

When we submit to God’s discipline, then we grow into his true disciples.

Do you think of God’s discipline in your life as a negative thing?

Do you want to grow into maturity, but resist His discipline?

God intimately knows what we need in our lives.

He knows our hearts and the condition of our inner lives.

He does not discipline us arbitrarily or randomly.

If we truly want to mature spiritually, then we must desire God’s discipline and guidance.

I encourage us all to pray that God will discipline us; otherwise, we will become wayward Christians, blown to and fro by every wind we experience in life.

God wants us to grow and be able to live a life of stability—strong and unmovable.

Desire God’s discipline, and pray for it.

We need it!