Loving Correction
Don’t you just love getting corrected? The answer is often “no” when this question is asked. No one likes being called out on what they are doing wrong. The only reason to listen to correction is when it lines up with God’s Word. God will often use people or put people in your path to guide you to do what you should be doing. Sometimes, God will even speak to you Himself. He can completely point you in a different direction in your life. Although it can be a way you don’t want to go, God knows what is best for you. Proverbs 3:12 says, “for the LORD corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.” The ending of this verse shows us how our relationship with the heavenly Father is one of a loving parent correcting His children.
Many people think that “God loves everyone and just doesn’t like what they do.” Which in some sense is true since God wants everyone to come to Him. He hates the sin, not the sinner. Yet, some will not come to Him because they are so overtaken by evil. For example, I’ve even heard people ask, “how could God love those who do horrible inhumane things like traffic girls, etc.?” Jeremiah 19:5 tells how people, “..have built the high places as burnt offerings to Baal, which I [the LORD] did not command or decree, nor did it come into my mind..” God is so holy that He can’t even fathom, or come up with, the kind of evil that we see occur in this world. Therefore, there is no way for Him to love those who do evil when it is totally against His character. God, in His holiness, cannot accept sin, evil, and disobedience. On the other hand, because of His holiness, He can help make us holy and is, therefore, capable of showing grace to those who will accept it. Romans 5:20 states, “God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.” The difference is that our heavenly Father “corrects those He loves” which are the people who will listen, turn, and follow Him.
When you repent and turn to God, He is always right there to extend grace to you.
I don’t know what you have been corrected on in your life. Maybe it’s your self-talk, or the way you speak to others. Maybe people have talked to you about the way you spend your time drinking, smoking, or having sex. Maybe you’ve been spoken to about what you watch and listen to. Whatever the case may be, I know that God may be speaking through those people to help correct you and bring you on a better path. A path that is life-changing and more beneficial than you can imagine. God never intended for you to have hurt, pain, and struggles- that is what sin has brought into this world and into our lives. But our heavenly Father has always provided a way out for His people, that is only available through Himself.
God corrects those He loves to bring them onto a better path that includes more of Him!
When you follow God, He doesn’t call you by your sin and shame. God calls you by name- He calls you His. When people get corrected, they often just identify with the negative things they are being corrected on. Think about it, when you get corrected as a child your parents usually use your full name to get your attention as compared to your nickname. Then, when you listen to what they have to say you start to get down on yourself about how “bad, irresponsible, and wrong” you may be. But with correction from God, He calls you UP, not out! He reminds you that:
Through Him you are loved and forgiven
You are His child and that He has a better plan for you than what you are settling for
He corrects those He loves because He is close to them
Our heavenly Father knows His people completely and still shows unconditional love. When you believe that God’s Son, Jesus, lived an innocent life, died a sinner's death on a cross, and resurrected from the dead - you are washed white by His blood! Ephesians 1:7 states, “in him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace..” So, remember when God corrects, He does it because He cares for you. He just wants you to listen with an open mind and an open heart knowing that He calls you His child and has a better plan for your life!