No doubt most of those reading this devotional are like me, having at one point been a child but now a parent.  And as such we have been on both sides of the discipline issue.  I certainly remember getting some good spankings as a child (though not as many as my wicked brothers!) and in the past 15 years have also doled out my fair share of punishments as well. 

As any good parent would attest, not all actions deserving of discipline get the same level of punishment.  If one of my kids was getting carried away in a place they shouldn't, then just a simple stern look would convey the idea of "that's enough!"  Of course, if that stern look is not enough, then we start to escalate the punishment which could include a spanking, privileges revoked, etc.

In the same manner, our Heavenly Father does not allow His children to get away with sin.  We read in Proverbs 3:11-12, "My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth."   Just as an earthly father does not look away when his child is starting to go down the wrong path, our Father in heaven, in love, will chastise/correct/discipline us when we too start to go astray.  Thankfully this correction is often times gentle, such as a tug on the heart by the Holy Spirit, both if the gentle discipline is not effective the Lord will no doubt do what is necessary to get His child's attention. 

And while the Lord's correcting hand often times may be difficult, we can take solace in the fact that He loves us and ultimately wants what's best for us.  It also gives us reassurance that we are truly one of His own.  Hebrews 12:8 warns us that if someone can live in sin with no discipline then it only proves that that individual is a professor but not a possessor of Christ.  No, a true child of God can not live in sin without our Father's loving correction.  And thank God for that!