Make Me Good, Daddy
Recently a new diagnosis was introduced to explain the “out-of-control” behavior of a high school student. While under the influence of alcohol, he killed four people with his automobile. Rather than charging him with vehicular manslaughter and sentencing him to spend time in a correctional facility, he was given probation for “affluenza,” an entirely new mental disorder.
Many were curious about the cause of this “disease” until a psychiatrist explained its source: it came from parents who gave their child everything he wanted, held him accountable for nothing and as a result he never learned right from wrong.
However, this is not the way our Heavenly Father “educates” us. One of His “children” provided us with an insightful detail into His method of child-rearing: “The Lord has chastened me severely, but He has not given me over to death.”
The word “chasten” means to “punish, restrain or moderate” someone’s behavior. So, when God “chastens” us, He is in fact confronting our un-Christ-like behavior and urging us to repent. We are instructed in God’s Word to “let God train you, for He is doing what any loving father does for his children. For whoever heard of a son who was never corrected.”
One day a father found it necessary to chastise his son. After the punishment he looked at his Dad and said, “I understand, Dad. I did wrong and you were trying to make me good. I know you love me, Dad, and I love you.”
Prayer: Father, keep us focused on living as Your Son, our Savior lived, and correct us swiftly when we go astray. Your correction shows us Your love. Thank You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Scripture For Today: – The Lord has chastened me severely, but He has not given me over to death. Psalm 118:18
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