Love and chastening

As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. – Revelation 3v19

I love our grand children. With Matt and Michelle being down and minding AJ while Holly has been back and forth to the hospital with Hud we have had three of the four of them around for about two weeks now. They are children. That means they are young, immature, noisy, fun-loving, cantankerous, a little cheeky, and even bold every now and then.

Sometimes Grammy and Grampy have to scold the little ones, even 13 month old AJ. It would be easy to say, ‘Aw, I love them too much to scold them. After all, they are only little kids.’

I contend that the opposite is true. I contend that a failure to rebuke and chasten is actually a sign of a lack of love. If we did not chasten our grandkids it would prove that we really do not care about their future. In fact, I think it is proof that we really do not love them.

Jesus said that He rebukes and chastens every one that He loves. His chastening is evidence of His love. Morgann, Maddie, AJ, and now Hudson are indeed only children. They don’t know any better. If their parents did not rebuke and chasten then they are leaving them to suffer the fruits of their own foolish decisions. They would be left to ‘learn the hard way.’

We are just like those four precious children. We don’t know any better. We don’t always know the consequences of our decisions. Jesus could very well just let us suffer the consequences of our decisions and choices. Sometimes, because of our stubbornness and stupidity we do have to learn that way. But He loves us so much that He perfectly rebukes and chastens us to help us avoid those sometimes tragic consequences.

True love always includes correction. Praise God for a Saviour who loves us enough to correct us.