“Endure hardship as discipline.” (Hebrews 12: 7, NIV)
The problem with this is most of us are not fond of discipline.
As a child, I did not enjoy discipline. Being sentenced to my room for a period of time just did not fit into my definition of “fun”. Having to stay in, unable to play with the neighborhood kids, was not funny. And then there was the dreaded punishment of going to bed right after dinner. The real problem with this punishment was knowing my brother was yet awake and enjoying TV without me.
I continued to read …
“Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12: 9-11, NIV)
Discipline serves several purposes in our lives:
- We respect those that discipline us. We came to respect our earthly fathers for their correction. Even more so, we will grow in our relationship and respect for God.
- God disciplines us for our good. He knows the outcome each act of discipline will bring about in our lives. It is always for our benefit. It is the manner in which He shapes and molds us to be more like Him, and to fulfill our purposes in this life.
- Discipline will produce. The outcome produces a harvest of righteousness and peace in our lives.
But there’s a catch – We must allow ourselves to be trained by it.
We must learn and allow our lives to be changed due to those difficult processes we experience. As people, we seek to avoid difficulties, pain and suffering. Yet in each of our lives, God permits seasons of both good and bad, joy and sorrow, laughter and tears. Everything we go through in life can be redeemed by our God as a victory. He supplies the grace we need. The reason for His grace is not solely for coming through His discipline but for us to come to know the Giver of grace ore deeply.
God gives us His grace during seasons of discipline
so that we come to know Him more deeply.
His desire is for us to know Him increasingly and intimately.
Curiosity is a gift from God. In her post, “How Curiosity Restores Joy in the Lord“, Donna Bucher encourages us to develop a “holy curiosity” … “Unleash the power of curiosity in your spiritual life and delight yourself in the Lord all over again.”
Come, sit a spell. Bring your coffee, your posts, and your thoughts. If you link up, kindly visit those who have drawn up a seat around you.
“So that we may share his holiness.”
How amazing, really, to hear and know that God’s overarching purpose is to draw us nearer in every way!
Discipline seems so unpleasant at the time. But God graciously applies it for our good. If we keep that end in mind, that He wants to train us, to draw us closer, it will be easier to endure. That word “train” is standing out to me this morning.
It’s funny you should mention the word “train” as it has been in the forefront of my mind for a few weeks. Training is hard, and it takes work.
I think of discipline like exercise, not fun in itself, at least not for me. But we love what it produces. God’s discipline “produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”
I so agree, Debbie. It isn’t fun in the present moment, but if we look towards the future, we are blessed in what it brings forth.
To learn from discipline is a primarily a process I think. To know that God disciplines us because he is pruning us to be more like him makes the discipline much more palatable …n that comes easier with age.
Jan, you hit it on the head … it comes easier with age. I so appreciated you adding this thought!
Joanne, I loved what you said, “Everything we go through in life can be redeemed by our God as a victory.”
I pray to have a teachable spirit so that maybe I can be disciplined less. 😉
Amen, Jerralea. Me too!
Joanne, so often we view discipline as negative, but God only disciplines us because He loves us! Thank you for sharing my post here today too!
Such a good word, Joanne, to be trained by the discipline. “There’s a catch ”“ We must allow ourselves to be trained by it.” And the purpose is to know Him more intimately.
Great post Joanne.
Blessings, Jennifer
So many times young parents read books and articles about how to discipline children. You’ve captured the “why” our Father disciplines us and how it is for our good. Your statement caused me to pause >”But there’s a catch ”“ We must allow ourselves to be trained by it.” Humm… Indeed.
Paula, you reminded me of something … when I was raising my own children, I became keenly aware there are two types of discipline – corrective and punitive. I wanted to be aware of why and how I was disciplining my children so as to bring correction and not harm. Our Father is even more careful with us as He brings discipline, and this morning, you brought the precious image of loving heart to mind.
Great thoughts here Ms. Joanne. Have often considered; a) Discipline must be deserved. In God’s case, we know He is just and never-changing, so that’s a given. However, we must recognize that fact before we readily accept His correction or rebuke., b) God’s discipline is never given from a state of anger, but righteousness and love., c) God’s discipline is never about His venting His frustration or disappointment, but His desire to help you become more like His Son. Loved this post ma’am. When we learn to not apply our worldly understanding to God’s spiritual discipline and training in our lives, it becomes much easier to accept. Not always appreciated in the moment, but accepted. 🙂
I so appreciated your thoughts, J.D. I so agree, discipline may not be appreciated in the moment but when we see the results God produces as we correctly respond to Him, we come to know and love Him more deeply.
Joanne, thanks for this message. We don’t like discipline or to talk about it. My favorite thing you said is this, “We must allow ourselves to be trained by it.” We can’t take shortcuts to producing a harvest of righteousness and peace. It’s only found when we allow it to change us for the good.
And knowing Him better brings us a peacefulness that is worth every moment of discipline!
“We must learn and allow our lives to be changed due to those difficult processes we experience.” This is so true, Joanne. I believe that nothing is wasted in God’s economy, but it’s so sad to see a Christian go though a hard season and then just carry on unchanged afterwards.