God Disciplines Those He Loves

Ezekiel 4-7; Revelations 3 

“’The King will mourn, the prince will be clothed with despair, and the hands of the people of the land will tremble. I will deal with them according to their conduct, and by their own standards I will judge them. Then they will know that I am the Lord.’”

Ezekiel 7:27

“’Those whom I love, I rebuke and discipline, so be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock…’”

Revelation 3:19, 20

Those whom God loves, he rebukes and disciplines.

Do we believe that?

Has the grace of God in Christ become a license to excuse sinful habits, wrongly believing that once God opens the door of salvation to us, we no longer need to open the door of our hearts to him?

The Laodician Church was wealthy and confident of their salvation, as were the inhabitants of Jerusalem when Ezekiel prophesied to them. God’s message to both groups was to repent, because he judged their conduct and not their beliefs. If what we believe doesn’t lead to humility and lifelong sanctification, we deceive ourselves and our beliefs are empty. The Spirit of God knocks on the heart door of those he loves in order to get our attention, so we, too, will repent and renew intimacy with the Lord.

Can we recognize his voice when he knocks and calls?

“Lord Jesus, thank you for making the life of discipleship possible and for providing your life as an example, for your glory.”