God's discipline

“Blessed is the man You discipline, O Lord, the man You teach from Your law.” Psalm 94:12
There is a big difference between discipline and punishment. Discipline always has the goal of teaching someone and improving their character. Punishment is something unpleasant that is inflicted on a person for doing something wrong. They are not the same thing.
We are blessed if God disciplines us – it means we are His children (Heb. 12:7-8). If He simply punished us, it would mean we are sinners with no hope of reform. God disciplines us because He wants us to grow up to become more like His Son. He does this in many ways: allowing us to endure the consequences of our poor choices, until we come to our senses and seek His forgiveness. Through this we learn what His will is, because if we get outside of His will, our lives seem to dry up.
“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it” (Heb. 12:11). The benefits of God’s discipline are not necessarily immediate, but they are long-term and eternal. Is God disciplining you today?