God’s Correction Brings Comfort
Hebrews 12:11
“All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”
Proverbs 3:11–12
“My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor detest His correction; for whom the Lord loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights.”
Raise your hand if you enjoy discipline. If you raised your hand, you're either super- spiritually mature- or you probably need a few sessions on a therapist’s couch. (Don't worry, we all could benefit from a few sessions!)
In all seriousness, most of us don’t enjoy discipline. But maybe we should begin looking at discipline differently. As humans, even as Christians, we’re prone to make mistakes. Yet when we make mistakes, our loving Father disciplines us, not out of cruelty, but out of love and care.
What Is Discipline?
Let’s define discipline as a process used to correct undesirable behavior. It’s not enjoyable in the moment. In fact, it often stirs up emotions like anger, denial, sadness, fear, or even resentment. Rarely does anyone in the middle of correction say, “Thank you!” And if they did, the one disciplining probably wouldn’t know how to respond!
Now this is not to say we aren’t eventually grateful for the correction, but gratitude often comes later, after the fruit of righteousness begins to grow.
Seeing the Good in Real Time
But what if we could recognize the benefits of discipline while it was happening? What if we could recognize God’s love, even when we’re being disciplined, instead of assuming He’s angry or distant? That mindset shift could be life-changing.
Psalm 23 starts with, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Later it says, “Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”
Proverbs 22:15 tells us, “Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of discipline will remove it far from him.”
We see the word rod used both as a tool for discipline and a source of comfort. A shepherd uses the rod to guide his sheep back when they wander off. Some sheep yield easily; others need stronger persuasion. But ultimately, when the sheep follow the shepherd's lead, they are brought to safety, peace, and abundance.
We Are God’s Sheep
Throughout Scripture, God refers to us as His sheep. And like sheep, we often wander from the paths He set for us. When that happens, He lovingly uses His “rod of discipline” to bring us back.
Sometimes His correction is gentle. Other times, it’s stern and even painful at times because of our stubbornness. But the goal is always the same: to bring us back into alignment with His will.
Why Discipline Brings Comfort
Hebrews 12:6 says,
“For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives.”
God’s correction is proof of His love. Instead of becoming defensive or discouraged when corrected, we should be thankful. Why? Because He loves us too much to leave us in our sin.
Hebrews 12:9 reminds us:
“Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we respected them. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?”
Short Story Time
I loved Legos as a child. (I still do.) One day, I built a Lego boat and decided to play with it, IN THE TOILET OF ALL PLACES! (I made no sense as a child).
The toilet looked clean, so in my mind, it was clean. Back then, we had one of those flush-button toilets that shot water down like whitewater rapids. Nine-year-old me thought it would be fun to flush while holding the boat at the surface. You can guess what happened: the water snatched the boat out of my hand and flushed it down the drain.
My heart skipped about 20 beats.
I flushed again to check the damage. Yep, definitely broken. Or so I thought. Either way, panic set in as I thought I had just destroyed the only toilet in the house. I knew I was in big trouble.
So, I went to my dad and said, “Dad, I need a spanking.”
He asked why.
I told him what happened.
He told me to wait in my room- that was his way of letting me know a spanking was on the way.
(I’ve never volunteered for punishment before—or since.)
Funny enough, after my punishment, I flushed the toilet again... and it worked just fine. No damage. If I’d just waited a few minutes, I might’ve been in the clear. But who knows? That delay might’ve given me the confidence to try again and cause real damage.
In the end, discipline did its job. I learned how stupid my decision was, never did it again and no further harm was done.
God’s Love in Correction
At the time, I wasn’t thinking about what I had learned. But hindsight gives us clarity, and that’s the mindset we should aim for when receiving God’s discipline. God will not discipline us if it is not meant for our good.
God repeatedly says that He loves us. And He cannot lie (Numbers 23:19). So, when He disciplines us, it is a reflection of that love.
His standards never change. We’re the ones who are inconsistent—who sin, stray from His path, and choose our own way. Without discipline, we might assume God is okay with our behavior. But He’s not. He loves us too much to leave us in error.
So, whether His correction is gentle or stern, we should be grateful that He doesn't leave us alone in our sin. He disciplines us to bring us back.
God’s Goal: Salvation, Not Condemnation
1 Corinthians 11:32
“But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.”
We all know John 3:16, but verse 17 is just as important:
“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”
Let’s define condemned using Merriam-Webster:
To declare reprehensible, wrong, or evil
To pronounce guilty, sentence to punishment
To deem unfit for use
Now read 1 Corinthians 11:32 through that lens:
“But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be declared reprehensible, found guilty, sentenced, or deemed useless to God.”
And John 3:17:
“For God did not send His Son to declare the world guilty, evil, or unfit—but that through Him, we might be saved.”
Using the definition of condemned in these verses really helped me to see God’s love for us.
God’s Discipline Leads to Life
Romans 5:8 says,
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
The sins we commit make us deserving of death (Romans 6:23). But God continues to do all He can to keep us from condemnation, including disciplining us when we stray.
Yes, receiving salvation through faith in Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection is the first and greatest response to God’s love. But another response is this:
Gratefully submitting to His discipline, knowing that it’s meant to keep us from destruction and shape us into who He created us to be.
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for always showing Your love—even in discipline.
Forgive me for the times I’ve rejected or resisted Your correction.
Help me to recognize Your discipline as an act of love,
And allow it to shape me into who You’ve called me to be.
Thank You for not leaving me in my mistakes,
But lovingly guiding me back to the right path.
In Jesus’ name, amen.