When God Disciplines In Love

Have you ever imagined what it must’ve felt like when Jesus turned to His disciples and asked, “who do people say I am?” Then Peter, bold as ever, declared, “you are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” And Jesus responded, “blessed are you, Simon, for flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven (Matthew 16:17).

What an epic moment that must’ve been for Peter, to be told that his insight came straight from God Himself! Such divine affirmation. Yet, moments later in that same passage, we see a sharp turn. Jesus rebukes Peter, saying, “Get behind me, Satan!” Why? Because Peter, unknowingly, was opposing the very mission Jesus came to fulfill.

I couldn’t help but wonder how Peter felt going from divine revelation to stern correction. What was his reaction? Did it leave him feeling discouraged? Have you ever experienced that kind of emotional whiplash? I certainly have. I was suddenly reminded of the times my mother disciplined me. After being corrected, I didn’t want to see her face but just wanted to escape from the pain, embarrassment and humiliation. Thankfully, things have drastically changed. Now, when I am corrected, I tend to reflect deeply on what was said because I want to grow from it; however, there are still times I start internalising it and taking it more personally than I should. On a positive note, I have certainly grown! One thing I’ve learned is that Jesus always disciplines us in love. He corrects us because He cares for us. He desires to lead us away from sin and see us walk in freedom and truth.

Have you ever been rebuked or disciplined by the Lord so severely that you thought, there’s no way God can love me after this? I have, many times. Each time I was certain I had finally crossed the line and exhausted God’s grace, but He proved me wrong every time. He showed up in the most loving way, reminding me that His love for me had never changed.

Many people believe that having a relationship with God is a one-time event,  a moment of salvation, and that's it - but that’s far from the truth! A relationship with God, like any real relationship, requires attention, humility, and healing when it’s damaged. We hurt Him. We grieve the Holy Spirit, and at times, we also hurt others, who are His beloved children. When that happens, He doesn’t abandon us, but corrects us because He loves us too much to leave us in sin.

Here’s my story... one morning after finishing my usual routine and sat down with my laptop to begin my daily Scripture reading. The daily reading was Romans two. At first, nothing stood out from the translation I was reading, until  I switched to the New Living Translation (NLT) - that’s when everything changed.

Romans 2:3-4 (NLT) reads:

3 "Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God’s judgment when you do the same things?" 4 "Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that His kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?"

Those words hit hard.

And then verse 24 crushed me:

“No wonder the Scriptures say, ‘The Gentiles blaspheme the name of God because of you.’”

As I read, fear gripped me. I realized I had been doing the very thing I was criticizing someone for doing.  I wasn't committing the same sin, but my actions, words and the way I treated that person were not in alignment with God’s word. My behavior was causing stress and pain to that individual, and even though they had expressed their hurt, I remained unmoved.

That’s when God confronted me through His Word. Not with condemnation, but with clarity; with the kind of loving rebuke that comes from a Father who wants His child to grow and turn from their wicked ways.

God’s discipline isn’t a sign that He’s done with us - it’s proof that He isn’t. He disciplines those He loves (Hebrews 12:6). He doesn’t correct us to shame us, but graciously tells us the truth to transform us and draw us back to His heart.

He reminded me that I can't claim intimacy with Him while hurting His children. I can’t walk in the Spirit while entertaining behavior that grieves Him. And yet, even in His correction, He showed incredible kindness just like Romans 2:4 states.

His kindness wasn't granting permission to stay where I was. It was a call to return to Him. A call to repent. A call to change.

At that moment, I felt naked before God and didn’t know what to do. I felt as if God had enough with me. I felt like Adam and Eve after committing the first sin and wanted to hide, but where? Where could I possibly hide so that the Omnipresent and Omniscient God couldn’t find me? Nowhere. So instead of engaging in the futile action of hiding from our All-Seeing and All-Knowing God, I chose to repent of my sin, and although I knew I was forgiven, I was bombarded with questions that filled me with doubt and left me questioning my assurance. Is God angry with me? Will I ever get back to the place I once was with Him?  However, God was not quite through with me that morning. He gave me a final warning in Proverbs 9:6 which say; Abandon your foolish ways so that you may live, and proceed in the way of understanding (Proverbs 9:6 NET).

I meditated on those verses throughout the day, and started questioning myself. Why can’t I get it right? I deeply wanted to change my ways and get back to the place before I had fallen but seemed to fail every time. 

The following day, I was led to read the daily devotional from The First 15, the topic was, God Disciplines Us in Love. I was taken aback as I read the reference scripture which was from Hebrews 12:6 ESV.

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”

From that moment, I began to thank God for His love towards me and for discipling me for my good. 

There are many sincere followers of Christ who struggle to receive the Lord’s correction. It’s not that they don’t love God, they do, but the moment correction comes, whether through scripture, a sermon, or a loved one’s gentle rebuke, something in them resists. Pride rises up. Defensiveness kicks in. Instead of embracing God’s loving discipline, they push it away, unaware of the damage it’s doing. When we resist correction, our hearts can become hardened, and that hardness spills over into our relationships with our friends, our children and spouses. We begin living in quiet hostility not only toward those trying to love us with truth, but even toward God Himself. We may still attend church, say all the right things,  read our bibles and serve in ministry, but inwardly, we’ve closed ourselves off to the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. God’s correction is never meant to shame us - it's meant to transform us - but transformation is not present where humility is absent.

I don’t write these things to shame myself or others, but to testify to the God who sees, corrects, and still loves us deeply and relentlessly.

Maybe you’ve been where I was -  feeling like you’ve gone too far for God’s love to reach you. I want you to know, His correction is not a rejection - it’s an invitation to come to Him.

“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” 

- C.S. Lewis