The punishment you gave me was the best thing that could have happened to me, for it taught me to pay attention to your laws. They are more valuable to me than millions in silver and gold! [Psalm 119:71-72 (TLB)]
Discipline and punishment are two concepts that seem to have fallen out of favor and yet they teach us about living as we should: about accepting responsibility for our words and actions. They teach us self-restraint, the inevitability of consequences, and the importance of being true to ourselves and God. Oddly enough, I don’t remember ever thanking someone for punishing or disciplining me. In fact, I probably said unpleasant things about them under my breath. Today let’s give them some overdue thanks.
Thank you, Lord, for those people in the past who cared enough about us to demand good behavior and to teach us the difference between right and wrong. Thank you for those people in our lives today who won’t hesitate to chastise us when we err in our ways. Lord, thank you for correcting us by putting people in our lives who make us accountable for our conduct.
Devotions of the Heart 