Accept God’s Loving Correction

God shows His love for us through beneficial correction. Yet humans naturally tend to resist correction. How do you react to His correction?

Your best friend has just sternly corrected you. Unfortunately, tact was not one of his virtues. But he did it out of brotherly love because you were on a collision course with disaster. While correcting you, he observed your emotions change from hurt to denial to anger. Your friend had prayed that you would correct yourself. But to his chagrin, it did not come to pass. He tried in vain to get your attention.

God’s loving correction

Some of us have been involved in scenarios of this nature. When our Father sees us failing to correct ourselves and rejecting correction from others, He will often intervene somehow in our lives to provide the needed correction.

The Bible tells us that we are not to “despise the chastening of the LORD” (Proverbs 3:11). God’s correction when we are on a wrong path in life is a demonstration of His love toward us as His children. He cares so much about our lives and future that He will intervene for our own good (Hebrews 12:10).

Resistance to correction is a common human response. Yet King Solomon wisely observed: “Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid” (Proverbs 12:1).

It takes God’s Spirit to not display this common response, but instead to allow the Bible to be a “two-edged sword” to correct us (Hebrews 4:12).

Correction produces godly fruit

Hebrews 12:11 states, “Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

When we learn from our mistakes and make necessary changes, our Father is full of mercy as He guides us through the difficult process. “For He [God] has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up” (Hosea 6:1). God’s correction is designed to heal and make us better Christians.

From correction to holiness

Correction is critical in the life of Christians. Without it, we wouldn’t grow spiritually. God’s desire is to see a humble, speedy response to His loving correction. Ultimately, He intends His correction to help us become “partakers of His holiness” (Hebrews 12:10).

For more insights on what the Bible says about correction, read our commentaries on the following scriptures:

• Proverbs 3:11-12.
• Proverbs 13:18.
• 2 Timothy 3:15-17.