When you hear the word “discipline,” what comes to mind? Punishment, suffering, or teaching and learning? Perhaps as a child the rod of correction was quite liberally applied to your seat of learning. There are three types of discipline: preventive, supportive, and corrective.1) Preventive provides motivation to do good by focusing on learning rather than misbehaving.2) Supportive teaches us how to get back on track when we misbehave. When shown positive feedback, and given help in times of difficulty, we learn self-control.3) Corrective deals directly with the problem. It never intimidates nor makes someone uncomfortable. It should be done privately, and there are consequences for misbehavior. Discipline seems painful for the moment, but done in love it’s always for our good. God the Father disciplines us in that love. He motivates us to govern our lives by self-control. When we get off track, He shows us the way back to the right path. He reinforces us with positive feedback, not condemnation. He deals with our behavior directly, and He never intimidates us. He doesn’t like punishing us, but it’s always for our betterment. When we feel convicted, it’s always with a gentle voice. There are consequences for bad behavior when we choose disobedience; love chooses wisely.