This is another devotional I've written for OBC.

And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: "My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him, For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives." (Heb. 12:5-6)
To borrow a phrase from God’s Word, Sisters, we should count it all joy when God disciplines us. There are three very good reasons for this. Let’s take a look at each reason:
1. If God chastises us, then we are His children! The Lord wouldn’t rebuke one that was not his own (Hebrews 12:8). Isn’t that a great feeling?
We have no need to worry that the discipline will be unfair. We have a wonderful Father! He is all-knowing, all-powerful, all-mighty and full of wisdom. Matthew 10: 29-30 says that He knows when each little sparrow falls and has even numbered the very hairs on our head. And just read Job chapter 38 to know a multitude of other things that God knows and many that we still do not, even with all our scientific advancements. If God chooses to discipline us, it is with full knowledge of pros and cons and ins and outs of any situation. There is no one wiser than God! (Isaiah 55:8)
In England and throughout Europe, there are many beautiful cathedrals. It is said that many of the architects and builders are unknown. Many of them worked their lifetime on the massive structures and never saw them completed. God knows what He wants us to be and He will mold us that way if we allow it. He is the potter and we are the clay (Isaiah 64:8).
God also knows what we can handle. He knows what we can bear (I Corinthians 10:13). We should trust God to give us only those things we can endure.

2. "...for our profit, that we may be partakers in his holiness." (Hebrews 12:10) If God chastises us, then it is to benefit us. I Peter 1:7 tells us that our faith must be tempered by fire. When gold is tempered by fire, it is made pure. Therefore, when we endure trials, temptations and chastisements, we should rejoice because God is making our faith pure.

3. God LOVES us! If we are being chastised by the Lord, we can rejoice and feel loved. Hebrews 12:6 says, "...For whom the LORD loves He chastens..."
Those of us that are mothers understand this more than those that are simply daughters. When a child is receiving discipline, all that matters to the child is the pain. Later there will come benefits of a lesson learned. As a mother, I know that the pain is a teacher. I know what I want the final product to be and I have a great responsibility to mold my children to that. I do it out of love. This gives me a better perspective to understand how God deals with His children. He chastises out of love as well. In Revelation 3:19 God tells us that as many as He loves, he chastens.

As children of God, we should humble ourselves to accept His loving discipline. We should rejoice because He is purifying us. Discipline given in a loving, wise manner should produce good fruits, if we will allow ourselves to learn from it (Hebrews 12:11). The rest of the verse in Revelation 3:19 says, "to be zealous therefore, and repent." Let us not be unruly children, but accept the discipline from our heavenly Father with a humble and contrite heart to be profitable in His kingdom (James 4:10).