Tag: soul

Thankful to Be Disciplined

On By vickleaIn Scripture4 Comments

If anyone had asked me when I was a child if I was thankful for being disciplined, my immediate response would have been, “Of course not! It hurts!” But nowadays, I am thankful for God’s discipline because it shows me how much He loves me and wants me to be more like Him.

When God stops me in my tracks and gently chides me and disciplines me, I am not always happy at the time. But when I reflect back on the chastisement of the Lord, I always realize that it was for my good and because He sincerely loves me.

My parents, especially my mom, hardly ever convinced me that her discipline was from a heart of love. However, God has me completely captivated by His love, which includes His discipline. He loves me enough to discipline me, to make me more and more His disciple, so that I can share in His holiness. I am not perfect and have not arrived yet. I would not be walking on the earth still if that were true. Thus, God disciplines me and gets me back on the narrow path towards holiness so that I am pleasing to Him and being the witness He desires me to be for Him.

I cannot say whether I have always experienced a harvest of righteousness following God’s disciplinary action, but I can say that in my heart and soul, I feel closer to God and more ready to take on the next challenge in my life. I don’t cower away from God’s discipline but rather I welcome it as a part of my necessary growth and maturity as a Christian.

May you be blessed with the understanding that God’s discipline is always for your good and will always result in your becoming more like He wants you to be.

Words Matter

On By vickleaIn Scripture6 Comments

Have you ever thought of how many words you say every day? Ponder that. Then, think about how many of them are kind words, words that build up and encourage.

Encouragement should be as much a part of our being as Christians as reading God’s Word for the encouragement that we get from that. Consider that many do not read His Word (although we are in absolute agreement that they should), and the only encouragement that some may get is from what may come out of your mouth. The clerk is slow and you’re in a hurry. Be gracious anyway. The traffic is backed up and you feel like you’re going to explode with anger. The passengers in your car need to hear gracious words instead. In whatever situation we find ourselves, we can choose to use grace in our words. Give love with your words, not judgment and condemnation. It’s your opportunity that God has given you to represent how He would respond to frustrations and challenges. Just be kind. I saw a sign that had a familiar saying on it, “In a world where you can be anything, be kind.” You don’t have to accept sin. I am not saying that by any means. But no matter what is happening in someone’s life, you can make a difference with a kind word, just noticing that the other person needs your encouragement just as much as you need to take in the manna from God’s Word daily.

May your day be filled with the opportunity to reach out to others with kind words, offering needed encouragement and a picture of what kindness looks like.