Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Blessed is the Man Whom You Instruct

Psalm 94:12-14 (New International Version)
12 Blessed is the man you discipline, O LORD,
the man you teach from your law;
13 you grant him relief from days of trouble,
till a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the LORD will not reject his people;
he will never forsake his inheritance.

"Blessed is the man (woman) you discipline, O Lord." The NKJV says, "Blessed is the man whom you instruct." I don't know about you, but I think I prefer the word "instruct" over "discipline." But no matter the word you use, the idea is the same. We are blessed when the Lord disciplines us and teaches us from His Word. There are times that I certainly haven't felt blessed when the Lord was disciplining me. This is a further reminder that we need to base our lives on the truth of God's Word, not on how we feel, because our feelings will so often mislead us.

And what is one of the benefits of His discipline? He will "grant (us) relief from days of trouble." Yes, the Bible tells us "In this world you will have trouble" (John 16:33), as I am sure we can all attest to. And some trouble we encounter is through no fault of our own. But, this passage caused me to stop and think, how many times do I cause, or at least contribute to, my "days of trouble"? We need to be thankful for His discipline & instruction which teaches us right from wrong. We need to realize that He is "urging us to follow His paths instead of stubbornly going our own way,"1 which inevitably leads to "days of trouble." "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it" (Hebrews 12:11).

Someday a pit will be dug for the evil one and all who do his bidding, and all trouble (& sin) will be done. In the meantime, let us allow the Lord to discipline, instruct, and teach us. Recognize it as proof of His love for us, loving us too much to allow us to go our own way. As His children, He will not reject us, He will not forsake us, and sometimes this means disciplining us. Ladies, by His grace and in His strength, let's embrace it and allow Him to produce a harvest of righteousness and peace in our lives.

Stacey Poplawski
WOC Graduate

1 Life Application Bible - NIV by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (c)1991

DIGGING DEEPER
Psalm 27
3Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,
the fruit of the womb a reward.
4Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the children of one's youth.

Join us this week for Victory Week 5 with Rev. Tony Hart and Rev. Wilbur Winborne. If you're unable to join us in person, watch live at www.americaskeswick.org Monday through Thursday at 9:30 am and 7:00 pm.

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