Thought for the Day

Verse 11 - To become wise, we must receive God's correction, or His chastening. We should pray for it so that we will remain on the right path; if we go astray we can be destroyed. God corrects His children as an earthly father does. A good father never injures his children when correcting them. He chastens to teach proper behavior so that they will avoid pain and trouble. It is important to understand that God does not send evil things into our lives in order to teach us. The Holy Spirit is our teacher and the Bible is our textbook. Students must learn from their teachers and textbooks to pass their tests. If one does not pay attention to instruction and refuses to study, he does not advance. He must apply what he hears. Likewise, we must obey the Holy Spirit's promptings and apply the Bible to our lives, in order to pass life's tests. If we are rebellious or ignorant of the Bible's teachings, we will suffer things that God never intended for us to suffer.

Verse 12 - A good father never does anything evil to his own child, but protects and cares for him. If his child should hurt himself, whether through ignorance or disobedience, he quickly comes to his aid. Our heavenly Father loves us and sent His Son to redeem us from the curse, not to put another one on us. The Bible tells us who the "troublemaker" is (the devil) and how to avoid his temptations and attacks.

Some people claim that they came to the Lord through tragedy. This may be true, but the devil, not God, devised the tragedy. God, in His grace, was there to help and deliver them in the midst of their troubles. Tragedies in themselves never save anyone; many lead to death, and those involved that do not know Jesus as Savior will endure eternity in hell. The Spirit of God brings us to salvation, not tragedy. "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him" (John 6:44). People are saved because the Holy Spirit leads others to pray for them.

We must never blame God for difficulties, but rather turn to Him and praise Him; not for the trouble, but for the fact that He is there to help us in the midst of it. Praise God that we can call upon Him to show us the way to overcome problems and grow spiritually in the process. Remember: He loves us and delights in us!