Discipline is one way that God shows us the areas of our lives in which we need to be refined. The right response isn’t to become hardened and allow roots of bitterness to grow towards the Lord; the right response is to allow Him to dig up the roots of sin that are hindering us so that we can experience peace with Him.

Take a good look at your life. Is there an area where you’re experiencing escalating consequences, and if so, have you asked yourself why that might be the case? In the same way that parents discipline their children, God disciplines us when we make poor choices. There are consequences to our actions, but God gives us those consequences because He wants us to learn, grow, and move forward.

God is less concerned with whether or not He offends people than He is with whether or not we live a righteous life. That process takes discipline, and sometimes even necessitates pain to bring us back to right living. But in the end, the benefits of following Him far outweigh the difficulties that come with learning to be obedient.

One of the most powerful gifts Jesus gives to us as believers, along with our salvation, is the gift of the Holy Spirit. And when we step out of line and walk outside the path God has for us, He’ll do whatever is needed to “prick” our hearts and get us back on track. The best support we can give to a brother or sister who’s struggling in their relationship with the Lord is to encourage them to seek Him wholeheartedly.

Sometimes, people treat the church more like a gym than the house of the Lord. They sign up for a membership, and they might even go on occasion, but they fail to commit at the level that’s needed in order for real life change to happen. It’s not enough for us to attend church as bystanders. We have to be active members and “work out” spiritually with the goal that one day, we can become trainers and help other people get spiritually fit, too.

Romans 6 answers the question, “Shall we go on sinning because we’ve been saved by grace?” with a resounding “NO!” On the contrary, Scripture tells us that we’ve been freed from our sin and have become slaves to righteousness instead. Our Father disciplines our sin because He loves us — and the only way to avoid the temptation that leads to sin is to surround ourselves with the Holy Spirit and God’s Word.

Discipline, when done right, is always done out of love, not anger. Parents discipline their children in order for them to grow in obedience. In the same way, our Heavenly Father disciplines us so that we can learn what it means to walk in His ways and to live the life He intends for us to live.

God doesn’t discipline us because He wants to beat us up over our sin. He does it because He loves us and wants to bring us back to Him. The Bible isn’t a weapon for us to use against ourselves or other people — it’s the Good News that promises forgiveness for all who repent and believe!