Tag Archives: god disciplines those he loves

October 10, 2025 · 5:59 AM

The Gift Of Discipline

I was laughing as I told my mother in law all the ways my mom used to discipline me. Like any kid, I needed a fair amount of it and hated it. As I’ve grown older, I’ve grown to appreciate discipline and now see it as a gift. Correction, when given by God, is always for my good. It’s how God shapes my character, keeps me on the right path and drives out pride from my life. It’s never fun to go through, but when I look back I can see what God was doing in me. He’s a good Father that wants the best out of us. When He disciplines us, it shows that He’s actively involved in my life and still invested in who I’m becoming. It truly is a gift from above when you understand what He’s doing.

Here are some Bible verses on being disciplined by God:

1. Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the Lord your God disciplines you for your own good.

Deuteronomy 8:5 NLT

2. When we are punished, it seems to us at the time something to make us sad, not glad. Later, however, those who have been disciplined by such punishment reap the peaceful reward of a righteous life.

Hebrews 12:11 GNT

3. Joyful are those you discipline, Lord, those you teach with your instructions. You give them relief from troubled times until a pit is dug to capture the wicked.

Psalms 94:12-13 NLT

4. Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.

Proverbs 12:1 ESV

5. My son, do not reject or take lightly the discipline of the Lord [learn from your mistakes and the testing that comes from His correction through discipline]; Nor despise His rebuke, [Ps 94:12; Heb 12:5, 6; Rev 3:19] For those whom the Lord loves He corrects, Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.

Proverbs 3:11-12 AMP

Photo by Ante Hamersmit on Unsplash

God’s Discipline

When I was a child and I broke the rules, my parents disciplined me. When I went to school and my behavior was not in line with the school’s expectations, I was disciplined. When I got a job, my employer let me know that if I didn’t uphold their standards or do my job well, I would be disciplined. One HR manager told me that discipline isn’t to punish us, but to instruct and correct us. My whole life I had seen it as a punishment, but it’s actually a tool God created to help us. Over and over it tells us that God disciplines those He loves. He won’t just let us continue down the wrong path. He will correct us and instruct us so we make choices that bring blessings. As believers, discipline should be expected from God and received with joy because of His love for us. It may not feel good in the moment, but long term it’s the best thing for our lives.

Here are some Bible verses on God’s discipline.

1. Those whom I [dearly and tenderly] love, I rebuke and discipline [showing them their faults and instructing them]; so be enthusiastic and repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, your sinful behavior—seek God’s will].

Revelation 3:19 AMP

2. Therefore, know in your heart (be fully cognizant) that the Lord your God disciplines and instructs you just as a man disciplines and instructs his son.

Deuteronomy 8:5 AMP

3. My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you.

Proverbs 3:11 NLT

4. For the Father’s discipline comes only from his passionate love and pleasure for you. Even when it seems like his correction is harsh, it’s still better than any father on earth gives to his child.

Proverbs 3:12 TPT

5. Now all discipline seems to be painful at the time, yet later it will produce a transformation of character, bringing a harvest of righteousness and peace to those who yield to it.

Hebrews 12:11 TPT

Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash

Purposeful Preparation

I don’t know if you ever played sports or not, but if you did, you had a coach. Some coaches are there to help you have a good time, others are there to teach you the basics and others help you elevate your game. Those coaches demand a lot out of you, and sometimes get in your face and yell at you when you’re not giving it your all. They’re so hard on you at times that you feel like quitting, but at the same time you know that would disappoint them, and you definitely don’t want to do that. Their discipline and training cause you to respect them and make you want todo more. In the end, you’re a better player because they pushed you beyond what you saw in your abilities. Those coaches you remember for life.

Hebrews 12:6 says, “For the Lord’s training of your life is the evidence of his faithful love. And when he draws you to himself, it proves you are his delightful child” (TPT). God is always training us and preparing us for our future. You might go through an intense training at 35 to prepare you for an intense battle at 50. His training conditions our mind and spirit to be ready for those times in our life. At times it seems harsh and you feel like quitting, but God encourages us through these times because He loves us. He draws more out of us and gives us the strength to endure more than we ever thought we could because His grace is sufficient for whatever you go through.

The deeper your pain or the harder your struggle is will give you greater insight into who God is because you get to experience the depth of His grace and character more. You may hit rock bottom in life, but you will never hit rock bottom of His grace. Your times of training and difficulties only prove how strong His grip on you is and how deeply He loves you. His training grounds and discipline are designed to teach you how to dig deeper in your faith so that when the really hard times come, you have an anchor of hope in Him. Instead of being driven away by the struggles, you stay firm in your faith and your relationship grows. God understands what we need in our training in order to take us to places and victories we would otherwise never know. Keep trusting Him. You are His child whom He loves and He’s drawing you closer to Himself.

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