Corrected by God

Forgive Me.

Heb 13:2  Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

Heb 13:3  Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.

Forgive Me.

1Jn 3:17  But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

How?  God's love cannot dwell in a heart that is closed to compassion.

1Jn 3:18  My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

Love in DEED.  It's better than saying you love. It's easy to say you love someone with your Christian love, but is your love revealed in action?

1Jn 3:19  And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.

Loving in ACTION.  This is TRUTH!  All my words mean NOTHING! NOTHING! I must love in my actions!

1Jn 3:20  For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

THANK YOU GOD for being GREATER than my heart!

1Jn 3:21  Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.

Truly IF we confidence toward GOD when our hearts are not condemned. Truly we cannot have confidence towards God if our heart is condemning up beyond any shred of hope. GOD is our hope! We CANNOT have hope outside of GOD. GOD will do all things, we can do NOTHING to save ourselves. Our confidence is sorely misplaced if it is with ourselves.

1Jn 3:22  And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

We make the choice to KEEP GOD'S COMMANDMENTS.

We make the choice to DO THOSE THINGS THAT ARE PLEASING IN HIS SIGHT.

Keep and Do- two actions we must choose, and will choose if our CONFIDENCE is towards GOD.  He will work through us.

1Jn 3:23  And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

1Jn 3:24  And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

Do we keep the commandment to believe on the name of God's Son Jesus Christ?

Do we keep the commandment to love one another?

Believe and Love.

Keep and Do.

He abides in us by the SPIRIT He gives us.

Joh 14:26  But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Joh 14:27  Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

The Holy Spirit will bring ALL things to our remembrance.  The Holy Spirit will bring our need to believe God, Believe in God's Son Jesus Christ, and our need to love one another.  When we might be tempted to be unloving, the Holy Spirit will convict our hearts! The Holy Spirit will teach us, and as we know in the realm of the flesh sometimes learning lessons isn't easy and we need to learn them over and over again constantly studying, constantly taking refresher courses, constantly being tested.  We are being taught by the Holy Spirit and we cannot DESPISE the chastening of the Lord!

Job_5:17  Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty

Pro_3:11  My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction

Heb_12:5  And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him

Heb_12:7  If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

Heb_12:11  Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby

A teacher often corrects a student, why? Because the student doesn't have all the answers but must be taught the answers.  Sometimes we learn better through mistakes we've made, they bring the lesson home harder than if we'd not made a mistake.  Being corrected by God through the Holy Spirit sent to us by the Savior Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son - this is what we need and should NOT despise.

Perhaps rather than being upset because of our error being pointed out to us, rather than being upset because we are shown our sinfulness more and more we need to praise God, look outward away from our self to the God who is correcting us so wonderfully.  No, our chastening isn't joyous, it is grievous, but we must ENDURE it as we are sons of GOD. We cannot get tired of being corrected as we are prone to do if we look at God's correcting as our just being shown over and over again how awful we are, and we don't want to recognize our awfulness. We need to recognize our unworthiness, knowing our worth is ONLY found in GOD.  We would have the peaceable fruit of CHRIST'S righteousness!

By the Grace of our LORD, by HIS mercy, His everlasting love now and always in His name, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior now and forever!

AMEN.