Proverbs 12:1

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

This verse is kind of a smack right in the face when you first read it. Honestly, I wasn’t
really sure what to think of it and was confused as to why we were writing on this verse for IBS
on a week about learning to be a student. The more I looked at it and read over it, the Lord
showed me how it ties into our theme for this week. When we are students at school, if we do
something wrong our teachers or others in authority around us will give us warning and then
discipline us because we didn’t obey what they asked us to do or we broke a rule. This is the
same with God. He is our ultimate teacher and desires for us to have a deep relationship with
Him and know Him, but that comes with also understanding that our sin has consequences. We
know that if we break a rule, there are certain disciplines that come from directly disobeying
what was put before you. The Lord disciplines us because it helps us going further knowledge, it
certainly doesn’t mean He loves us any less or He just wants to punish us because He feels like
it. Those who understand the concept of discipline understand that it is so we grow and develop
more into who God desires us to be and that it only happens because we decided to disobey Him
and do the opposite of what He taught us to do.
My fleshly nature, along with everyone else on this earth, wants to do exactly what I want
without consequences or discipline, but that would mean that we aren’t growing and we will
never be mature enough to handle life or even give our life fully to Christ. The Lord has been
showing me that, just as a father has to discipline his child, so does the Lord with me. If I do
something wrong against Him that doesn’t glorify Him, there has to be consequences because I
directly disobeyed Him. God doesn’t desire for us to destroy out witness with others and by
disobeying Him, we don’t glorify Him in that act. There have definitely been times in my life
where I was disciplined by the Lord and I got mad because I didn’t think I deserved it because it
wasn’t a big sin, but all sin is the same to God. God is showing me that His love is truly evident
in His discipline to us and it helps us become better sheep in His flock. My application is that I
will apologize to the Lord and my parents for all the time where I was disciplined and I lashed
out at them for it even though it was for my own good and because they love me.