I have often resented correction. It is rarely pleasant to have my sins brought to my attention \u2014 because nobody likes being told that they are wrong, and when imperfect people confront imperfect people, sin can easily sneak into the confronter (and\/or confronted) and poison the confrontation.<\/p>\n
But, Job cried out in the midst of his agony, \u201cHow many are my iniquities and my sins? Make me know my transgression and my sin. [God], why do you hide your face and count me as your enemy?\u201d<\/em> (Job 12:23 & 24)<\/p>\n In Hebrews 12 we are told that if we aren\u2019t being disciplined, than we aren\u2019t sons of God (vs 8), which is an extension Deuteronomy 8:5, and Proverbs 13:24.<\/p>\n Proverbs 3:12 tells us that God corrects those who He loves.<\/p>\n We are told to be earnest (Revelation 3:19) and to lay aside every hinderance and run the race set before us (Hebrews 12:1) which is the Christian life.<\/p>\n Instead of becoming discouraged or upset when we are corrected, it should give us hope and joy \u2014 if we weren\u2019t being chastised it would indicate that we have been abandoned and are unloved by God (death of our souls). It is not wrong to seek out discipline. Indeed, I should<\/em> be searching for sin weeds in my life to pull. To do so is to find love from Love Himself and to find that is to find life.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n As for you,\u00a0don\u2019t you remember how you used to just exist? Corpses,<\/i>\u00a0dead\u00a0in life,<\/i>\u00a0buried by transgressions,\u00a0wandering the course of this\u00a0perverse<\/i>\u00a0world.\u00a0You were the offspring<\/i>\u00a0of the prince of the power of air\u2014oh, how he owned you,<\/i>\u00a0just as he still controls those living in disobedience.\u00a0I\u2019m not talking about the outsiders alone;<\/i>\u00a0\u00a0<\/sup>we were all guilty of falling headlong for the persuasive passions of this world; we all have had our fill of indulging the flesh and mind,\u00a0obeying impulses to follow perverse thoughts motivated by dark powers.<\/i>\u00a0As a result, our natural inclinations led us to be children of wrath, just like the rest of humankind.<\/p>\n