Chastened with love.

Proverbs 3:12 – For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

Remember the times you were scolded and admonished by your parents and teachers. At times we would look at them with grudging eyes and an attitude of sour bitterness. And over the years as we have grown older we have given up childish things and embraced a thought life which is more Jesus centered. It has been a long journey for most of us and yet how every day we need to look to him for guidance; a word of encouragement; a word of chastening and a word of hope. How many of us look to Lord for correction? We ask and plead him to guide us in our thoughts; in our words and in our attitudes. Certainly, we most often forget and let the flesh take over our decision – making, our egos and our pride. Are we dead to our flesh? Do we want to be dead to our flesh?

The Lord stands at the doorstep of our hearts and does not only long to enter but is waiting for us to call to him to make that change in our habits, in our attitudes and in our self centered lifestyles. We can never uplift ourselves in the place of work or worship. We can only serve, as with servitude comes a challenging and yet the most gratifying self worth we could ever imagine –knowing that at all times the Lord gently corrects and molds us.