Welcome to the In Touch podcast with Charles Stanley for Wednesday, April 2nd.

Discipline is an essential part of life, yet it's something we often resist. Join us as we

explore how God uses correction to shape us for good. Discipline is one of those experiences

all of us would like to avoid if at all possible.

But as children growing up, we realized that we just can't because as children, we got into all kinds of mischievous and those things that had to be corrected.

Not only with our parents, but maybe the school teachers.

And then we grow up and we come along

in our vocation in life and we have to be corrected again, maybe by someone. And so discipline is

sort of a part of living. But then when it comes to God's discipline that seems to be a whole

different story, how could God who is a loving heavenly father allow anything difficult or hardship,

a trial, or how could he discipline one of his children? Well, my friend, that's exactly what

God tells us in his word, that he does discipline us. And that discipline comes from a heart

of a loving father who loves us far more than we

could possibly love him. Now the question is, how could you and I avoid divine discipline? You say,

well, that's real simple. Well, that's the title of this message. How to avoid divine discipline.

You say, well, I can answer that. Just don't do anything wrong. Just don't sin.

Wonderful. Well, what about that? How long have you lived without sin? And how long can you live

without it? Scripture says that all of us have sin and come short of the glory of God. And he says,

if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,

and the truth is not in a soul, since sin is an issue in our life, we have to learn to deal with

the whole idea of discipline. So I want you to turn to two passages, if you will. First of all,

in 1 Corinthians chapter 11, let me give you a little background of what's going on.

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