Psalm 94:12 Blessed is the man you discipline, O LORD,
the man you teach from your law.

This verse is a Biblical truth that many people don’t want to accept. Like little children, there is so much we don’t know and need to know, but we don’t want anyone to impose their will on us. Proverbs has a great deal to say about the benefits and blessings of wisdom, which most people would agree with, but it points out that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of God. (Proverbs 1:7, etc.) That is where many intelligent people refuse to be wise! The stupidity of hubris in the face of Almighty God is something they don’t want to acknowledge. That’s why the Bible also has a great deal to say about how God blesses the humble but deals harshly with the proud. As this verse says, it is a blessed thing indeed when someone acknowledges their need of instruction from God and submits to His discipline, becoming a disciple indeed. There is literally no end to the benefits of such a commitment, because they are eternal.

I was raised in a home where this was believed and taught, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t have my times of stubborn rebellion and hubris – or that I still don’t. I am deeply aware of the necessity of the cross of Jesus Christ to atone for my sins, and that is perhaps the greatest blessing of all. Without that awareness, I would be totally powerless against the temptations and onslaughts that come against us all. As I deal with those around me it must always be on the basis of that awareness, so that I may speak the truth in love so as to lift people up, rather than beating them down in any way. Sometimes it takes a sharp word to cut the ropes that bind people, or even perform surgery to remove deadly tumors, but as my father said to me years ago, I must be very careful that my words are in no way infected with pride, jealousy, or any such thing. As I seek to lead others in discipleship, I must keep watch to see to it that I myself am indeed a disciple of Jesus Christ, reflecting Him in all I say, do, and am.

Father, thank You again for Your grace. Thank You for Your generosity in teaching me, though I am slow to learn. Help me likewise be unstinting as I offer myself as Your instrument to teach others, not condemning them when they are slow to learn but remembering my own slowness, so that together we may become the disciples, the children, that You desire, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!