Thursday, December 21, 2017

God Loves Through Discipline

“For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.” 
(Hebrews 12:6)

Love through discipline.

That's a foreign or archaic concept to a lot of people today. Certainly politically incorrect.

When I was a kid my parents were pretty strict, especially my dad. But I can tell you that I never received any punishment from him that I didn't fully deserve. In fact, because I experienced the severe consequences of my actions the way that I did then, that is probably the reason that I'm not in jail today, or worse. So, thanks dad and mom for loving me enough to discipline me.

Today in many states, if you spank your children, child services can actually take your children away from you. You could possibly even be prosecuted. This almost happened to some friends of ours.Very scary stuff.

When I was a kid you never heard of any school shootings. But today they are reported on the evening news almost weekly. What has changed?

As our nation and world move farther and farther away from God, pushing Him out of every aspect of our society, the moral fiber of the culture disintegrates. And the world grows darker. The people rebel against all that is good and right and godly.

“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness…” (Isaiah 5:20)

Very few parents today discipline their children effectively. Liberally minded schools refuse to do so. Many employers won't hold their employees accountable and fail to correct bad behavior. Church leadership, afraid to offend anyone, fails to correct sin in the church body in a biblical way.

Some will argue that because we're "just supposed to love people" they want to "be nice so that everyone will win." Just give everyone a participation trophy no matter what.

But when you fail to discipline, all you accomplish is to enable people to continue in wrong behavior. And everyone loses.

And that's not love.

Certainly not the God kind of love.  His love is a corrective and redemptive lovenot a pampering love.

“He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly.” (Proverbs 13:24)

The Discipline of God:

“For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. 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.”

If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
(Hebrews 12:3-11)

In light of the above passage from Hebrews chapter 12, examine the evidence of a lack of discipline in all aspects of our society. 

God loves through discipline.



God is Love and Love Never Fails.


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