Scripture to Read: Revelation 3:19
As we read Revelation 3:19, we see that Jesus also tells the church at Laodicea that He disciplines those He loves. God also makes this truth clear in Hebrews 12:6-8, “For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives.” 7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. The Lord’s discipline is a good thing for us as Believers. If we are not careful, we can see God’s discipline as something negative or even shameful, but our Lord Jesus Christ says this clearly in Revelation 3:19, “this whom I LOVE, I reprove and discipline,” and in Hebrews 12:6, “for those whom the Lord LOVES He disciplines.” If we are able to live in sin and we receive zero discipline from the Lord, then God says we are illegitimate (we don’t belong to Christ). We need to rejoice in our Lord when He convicts us of sin, for He is offering us the fullness of His mercy and grace. God is also giving us the opportunity to repent of our sin so that we are restored to right fellowship with our King. Christ, of course, encourages the church in Laodicea towards repentance and to live according to His Word. Repentance is what we need to stay in right fellowship with our Lord. May we never get comfortable with any sin in our lives.
Challenge & Application
1. What did God teach you today about His loving discipline and the fruit that comes from His discipline?
2. How have you been lovingly disciplined by our Lord and how have you repented from the sin He revealed to you?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!