Proverbs 20:30 reveals to us, "Blows that hurt cleanse away evil, As [do] stripes the inner depths of the heart." I remember being instructed about this verse one time in a ladies study. How it was meant for the believer who is disciplined in love by their Heavenly Father.(Hebrews 12:5-11)Well, the Hebrews writer, whoever he was, was absolutely right when he stated in Hebrews 12: 11:
"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."
Boy, have I been taken to the Divine Woodshed. But I say, "Thank You, Dear Father!" For without Him taking me there, I would be a miserable, cantankerous mess.
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Psalm 94:11 "The LORD knoweth the thoughts of man, that they [are] vanity."
Without the filling of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God richly indwelling our souls that statement is absolutely true and I am the living proof of it.
For many years, I believed I was the victim of an unfair situation in my family of origin. I felt I was the least favored and thus was consumed with bitterness. It ended up corrupting many people. I was sure I received no respect and resented it for many years. I kept a record of wrongs, the very opposite of what we were instructed to do in I Corinthians 13:5. I sure had a lot to learn.
Hebrews 12:15 "...looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;"
Do I like revealing this about myself? Of course not! But I do it in the hopes of helping someone out there who may stumble across this, who may find themself in a similar situation. Please learn from my foolishness.
Ahhh, but Christ does all things well.
Mark 7:37 "... He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak."
When I get my little ole eyes off of my own little trinity of ME, MYSELF and I, and put them on the Holy Trinity, and on others, the ONES HE CAME TO DIE FOR, well, then, life becomes much happier.
I realized that this last weekend, when I enjoyed a "God blessed" trip with my wise and godly parents and spent some time with my sister's family. I watched her eldest son graduate from a solid Christian college in western Ohio and also greeted my daughter in law, who has just returned home after deployment. What a grace-filled trip.
Life is better for me when I do things God's way. How about you?
