Skip to main content

IBS 56 - Revelations 3:19-20

Revelation 3:19-20
“Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person and they with me.”

I don’t like being disciplined. I don’t like getting in trouble so I try my hardest to not do wrong. To stay away from authoritative figures. The Lord is an authoritative figure, but He’s also Father. He loves me to literal death. He’s not someone I should try to stay away from. And because He loves me, he rebukes and disciplines me. A good parent doesn’t let their kid get away with being disobedient. They discipline the kid because they love them and want them to grow up and behave, be a good adult one day. That’s how God is. He rebukes me because He wants me to live correctly, to behave, and understand. 
I shouldn’t be afraid of that. Because it shows me how much God cares for me. How much He wants me to be closer to Him. Being rebuked and disciplined in the moment hurts. It’s painful and makes me want to quit and leave, but God says “No! You don’t get off the hook that easily.” But after the rebuking and discipline, I’ve changed into a deeper, stronger person. My relationship with Christ is always stronger after and my confidence is higher. 

Through rebuke and discipline God reminds me who He is. The power He has and the greatness He is. It reminds me of how much He loves me. How He sent His son to die for me. How His son endured the most painful death, crucifixion on the cross. How He did that for love. So that He could be with me for eternity. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

IBS 4 - Luke 8:22-25

Luke 8:22-25 “ One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. “Where is your faith?” He asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.” “He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm.” That’s me. I’ve always felt like there was a storm inside of me. Raging winds and rain, lighting and thunder. Destructive. I’ve been like that my whole life, storms going on in my heart.  When I would cry out to God, nothing would change. I didn’t have the faith that Christ could ...
Post a Comment
Read more

IBS 76 - Isaiah 7:9

Isaiah 7:9 “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.” How true is this verse. It’s so easy to put on that ‘christian filter’ and pretend to be strong in your faith. It’s so easy to fool people with where you are with Christ. It’s so easy to fool yourself with where you are with Christ. I am very good at fooling myself. All my life, I thought my relationship with Christ was rock solid. I always knew that there is room to grow, but I thought I was going strong. “One of Satan’s most dangerous deceptions is making you believe you are good with Christ when you’re actually not.”   I was far from Christ, I was not firm in my faith at all. I truly believed that I was good with Him though. My faith was not my own, I didn’t stand firm, and I could feel myself falling. I began to drift far away, desiring things of the world, my heart became hardened, and I stopped seeking the Lord.  Then, the Lord sparked my heart. He brought me to place where I h...
Post a Comment
Read more

IBS 59 - Acts 28:31

IBS 59 Acts 28:31 “He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ — with all boldness and with out hinderance!” What a wonderful thing it would be if someone said this about me. “Anna proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about Christ with all boldness!” To have people say that about me though, I must actually do and have faith. I can’t do the ministry God has called me to do without faith and acting upon that faith. When people tell me they love me but don’t act as thought they love me, I don’t believe that they love me. Just as that, if I say I have faith but don’t act on my faith, do I really have faith? “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (James 2:17). It is a big challenge to act upon the faith. It’s scary to put trust in the unknown. But when I test that trust and let my faith lead me, I see how faithful God is and how much He truly comes through. I’ve been afraid for so long to fall completely o...
Post a Comment
Read more