Is God punishing me?

If your anything like me, that thought has popped into your mind, probably many times.

Sometimes I will have some sort of difficulty, and I will then wonder if God is punishing me for something. Maybe punishing me for sin in my life, lack of faith, etc.

I think that can be a dangerous thought, because we may no longer look to God as a loving Father, but as a hard and demanding Father.

I want to look at some scripture, and the first question I want to answer is.... Does God punish those that are in Christ?

1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 says ¨God did not choose us to suffer his anger but to have salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus died for us so that we can live together with him, whether we are alive or dead when he comes.¨ NCV

According to this, Gods plan for us is our salvation, and not to be punished.

Wise parents really do not punish their children, because punishment is getting retribution for some sort of wrong that was done. But they do correct or discipline their children. The difference is that discipline is not about getting revenge, but it is about teaching the child to do what is right. Good discipline is done out of love and concern.

So does God do the same to His children? Does He discipline them? Yes he does.

Proverbs 3:11-12 says ¨My child, do not reject the Lord´s discipline, and don´t get angry when he corrects you. The Lord corrects those he loves, just as parents correct the child they delight in.¨ NCV

I will tell you about a story about a time I believe that God disciplined me. I worked for a shipping company, and my job was to pick up boxes, and move them onto a conveyer belt, and make sure they then went the right direction. The boxes I moved were often stacked high, and many were quite heavy. But I was supposed to be wearing steel toed shoes, but I wasn´t. I had worked there for some time, and nobody had noticed, but the management was starting to inspect peoples shoes, and I knew that soon they would take a look at mine. Well one day I was moving boxes, and I thought they would probably soon find out that my shoes were not steel toed, and I would get into trouble. And so I told God, ¨God, if you don´t allow them to notice my shoes today, then I will buy steel toed shoes before I work again.¨ And so the rest of the day nobody noticed my shoes and everything went fine.

I had another job at Sears, and I got an employee discount on things in the store, and Sears sold steel toed shoes. I looked at the shoes, but didn´t find any I wanted to buy, and so I decided not to buy them there.

And so soon I went back to work with my old shoes. I was moving boxes as usual, and they were stacked high. There was a small box that was at the top of the stack. I didn´t really see the box fall, but it did. The box might have been small, but it was HEAVY. I don´t know what was inside, but as heavy as it was, it could have been filled with nuts and bolts or something like that. I didn´t actually see it hit my foot, but I believe the box fell not flat, but it fell on one of its corners. And I believe that corner is what came in contact with my big toe. For a split second I was just in shock, but then the pain came, and it was really bad. I stopped working for several seconds, but I didn´t want anybody to know what happened, and for them to know I just had an accident because I was not following safety regulations, and so I quickly went back to work. I think I probably had to work another hour or more there.

Anyways, moments after that box struck my toe, I was sure that it happened because I made a promise to God, and he kept his part, but I didn´t keep mine. Maybe it was not right for me to make that promise in the first place, I don´t really know, but nevertheless, I did, and I believe God expected me to keep it. But I didn´t. I think that God allowed that box to hit my toe, and it was a form of discipline. He allowed it to happen for a purpose, and I don´t believe it was to punish me, but it was to discipline me. But what I did wrong was not just breaking a promise, but also not following safety regulations. You know, after that accident happened, I was not really sad, but I was glad to know that God would do that for me. I am glad that God did something to get my attention, instead of just letting it go. And so that made me happy, and when I think back on that accident, it is actually a good memory because I know God allowed it to happen for a reason.

I thought it broke my toe at first, but it didn´t, and I am thankful for that. Although it was painful, I didn´t have to miss any work. And the next day that I worked, I was wearing a brand new pair of steel toe boots.

And so I agree with that verse in Proverbs. Do not reject God´s discipline, or be angry when he corrects you.

I know that God corrects people in ways that are too many to count. But what we have to remember is that if we are in Christ, then we are God´s children, and any work that God does in our lives is because he loves us.

I have one more question. Why does God not punish those that are in Christ? The reason is because Jesus Christ took our punishment for us. And because Jesus Christ was punished in our place, we will not have to take any punishment from God. God will never punish us with His wrath, but he will discipline us because he loves us.

I know that there are many difficulties in our lives, but I don´t want anybody to now think that all of that is discipline from God. I know God allows us to go through many trials and difficulties, but if we are God´s children, then God uses everything for our good. So don´t think that everything is God´s discipline, but do know that God has a purpose for everything.

Also, I used the story about the box falling on my toe, because I think its a funny story. But when I think about the different ways that God has disciplined me, I think the main way has probably been God using people to tell me what I am doing wrong.

Romans 8:28 says ¨We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love him.¨ NCV