The discipline of the Lord to those He loves

Proverbs 3:11-12 (NIV)

My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline and do not resent His rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those He loves, as a father the son he delights in. 

A simple first glance of these two verses tells us that the Lord disciplines and rebukes those He loves.  He is like an earthly father (and/or mother) who disciplines and rebukes his/her son (or daughter).  Yet, these words and resultant thoughts seem harsh if you are a loving father or mother.  Let’s go beneath the surface and discover what these words of the Lord really mean. 

The Hebrew word for discipline (muwcar) means to correct or chasten while the Hebrew word for rebuke (towkechah) means to correct or reprove.  When Paul was describing the purpose of the word of God in II Timothy 3:16, what words did he use?   Two of them are correct and reprove.  Job 5:17-18 says that “Blessed is the man whom God corrects so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty”.  These verses (and others like I Corinthians 11:32, Hebrews 12:4-11, Revelation 3:19) convey the deeper thought that God disciplines, rebukes, corrects, and reproves His children for our own good, for a higher purpose, to mold or sculpt His children to become all that He created us to be, to be more and more like Jesus.

What are reasons why parents discipline their children?  Among the most common are to keep them safe and healthy (e.g. correcting or rebuking when children do unsafe things like crossing a busy street or playing with fire or running when they should walk), to minimize or eliminate bad habits (e.g. selfish behavior, bullying others, profane talk), and to teach the importance of respecting authority (e.g. when children deliberately disobey a parent’s fair requirement).  The motives of a loving parent in using discipline are for the ultimate sake and good of the child.  The same motives are true in a much higher form and a more eternal purpose from God toward His children.

In fact, Jesus said in Luke 17:3 that if you see another Christian committing a sin, you are to rebuke him and if he repents, forgive him.  Just like what happens if parents don’t discipline their children, if a brother or sister is not rebuked for committing a sin, he/she will continue to commit that sin and such sin will get much worse and lead to irreparable harm.

You know how you might discipline your children and you know how you might approach someone else to help them see their sin, but how might the Lord discipline you?  Here are some of His ways:

·  Your being convicted of sin you are committing or omitting through studying His Word, through hearing His Word preached, or through the admonition of other loving brothers or sisters in Christ.

·  Suffering consequences of doing wrong by reaping what you have sown, by experiencing sorrow, pain, affliction, lack of peace (e.g. read Leviticus 26:14-27).

·  By allowing suffering to enter your life, not because of anything that you have done wrong, but in order to teach you and mold you into a more perfect individual, one with godly character and one who can then be used to help others in need.  An example is a cancer survivor who now can be used to help others deal with the fear and pain of their cancer.

We are to take the discipline of the Lord seriously just as parents are to take seriously their conscientious and appropriate disciplining of their children.  All of us are to receive such discipline in a positive way; that it is used to help make us much better people of character, reputation, and holiness.  Keep Proverbs 15:5 in mind-- “A fool spurns his father's discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence.”  Also always bear in mind that if the Lord did not love you, He wouldn’t care about you and wouldn’t concern Himself with disciplining you.  Think of yourself like an athlete on a team who is constantly disciplined by the coach because the coach knows how much better you can be and is not going to give up on you.

"Look upon your chastening as God's chariots sent to carry your soul into the high places of spiritual achievement." — Hannah Whithall Smith

What is the point of complaining?

I Corinthians 4:7b-8a (Message)

Isn’t everything you have and everything you are sheer gifts from God?  So what’s the point of all this complaining and competing?  You already have all you need.    

There’s a Finnish proverb:  “The water is the same on both sides of the boat”.  Now that seems silly and irrelevant from our narrow human perspective, but think about your life and current situation from the height, breadth and depth of an eternal Godly perspective.  Has not God promised that He will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19)?  The problem is that you are finite, limited, and, frankly, ignorant of life from an eternal perspective and so you tend to complain and compete. 

As The Message translation states, “What’s the point of all this complaining and competing?”  Yet, what discourages me a bit is thinking about how long ago this verse was written.  Apparently the church at Corinth was having problems with people complaining, thinking of oneself as superior over others and comparing one leader with another.  These same wrongs occur today.  Has humankind not progressed at all?  No, humans are humans and will never change until the Lord comes again.  And with all that is going wrong with our economy and what disasters this may lead to later, His coming might not be far off. 

It is never right that any of us should feel self-sufficient.  You are God-sufficient.  Everything you have comes from God.  It is God who makes us all different from one another with each of us having different personalities and gifts that come from Him.  Ecclesiastes 6:9 states that “It is better to be satisfied with what you have than to be always wanting something else.”  There is great vanity in humankind, we never seem satisfied; we covet what others have.  No wonder coveting was the subject of the tenth of the Ten Commandments!

Stephen Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families, (St. Martin’s Griffin, 1997) states on page 261 that there are four “cancers” that are so deadly to family life—criticizing, complaining, comparing, and competing.  These negative factors will destroy a family or at least keep a family from being healthy.  This is true not only for the basic family unit but also for the church family and really any kind of group living and/or working together.  Logically, we know this all this is true, yet these four “cancers” are still huge problems in families. 

William Arthur Wood wrote a great quote: “A complaining tongue reveals an ungrateful heart”.  Hopefully, this does not describe you, but deep down, if you know that it does, do something positive to change.  Depend on the wisdom of God’s Word implanted deep into your heart to change. 

We mutter and we sputter

We fume and we spurt

We mumble and grumble

Our feelings get hurt

We can’t understand things

Our vision grows dim

When all we need

Is a moment with Him      -- Unknown

Always a way out of temptation and trouble

I Corinthians 10:13 (CEV)

You are tempted in the same way that everyone else is tempted. But God can be trusted not to let you be tempted too much, and He will show you how to escape from your temptations.  

The commonly used expression, “God never gives you more than you can handle” is based on this verse.  The context for this verse is Paul providing a history lesson about the dangers of idolatry, immorality and grumbling that caused the deaths of thousands of Israelites during the wilderness years.  In verse 12 he reminds readers that we should never let our guard down, that no matter how strong you think your faith is; if you dabble with sin, it will defeat you.  Then in verse 13 he gives these wonderful words of encouragement to readers who might be similarly tempted.    

The Greek word used for “tempted” in this passage--“peirasmos”--has several meanings.  It can mean an experiment, an attempt, a trial, an enticement to sin from outward circumstances, an internal temptation to sin, adversity, affliction, trouble, and/or a rebellion against God.  Whatever definition you wish to apply, the main message here is that everyone is tempted in the same way.  Whatever trials or enticements or adversities you face in your life right now, you are not alone.  Often it is hard to realize this when you are alone, but take comfort by faith that you are not alone in dealing with your circumstances. 

Two other great encouragements in this verse……..the truth that God can be trusted not to let you be tempted too much and the truth that God will show you a way of escape from your temptations.  Again, substitute whatever word for “tempted” best applies to your current situation and be encouraged about these three truths—you are not alone, God is with you and will give you whatever strength you need to face the temptation, and, in fact, God will show you a way out so that the temptation is removed from your life. 

A couple of applications.  You are being sexually tempted.  Realize that this kind of temptation is common to just about everyone, especially men.  But you don’t want to be like everyone else.  Trust in the Lord to help you escape this kind of temptation.  Pour through His Word and find those verses that teach how you can overcome this kind of temptation (e.g. I Corinthians 6:18).  Believe it and do what it says.  This is His way to provide you a way of escape. 

You are faced with lots of trouble.  You are broke.  You have lost your job.  You or a loved one is dealing with cancer or some other disease or illness.  You have a child in some kind of trouble.  Again, you are not alone.  God understands what you are going through (read and be comforted by Hebrews 2:18).  Cling to His promises here.  You can face these challenges, you have the strength through Him (Philippians 4:13).  God is faithful to enable you to overcome these challenges.  You can escape them eventually if you trust in His way, His strength, His answers. 

Thomas Ward said that “Temptations discover what we are”.  May whatever temptations you are dealing with right now reveal to you the depth of your faith and how strong your godly character can become.

God whispers to guide you

Isaiah 30:18-21 (NASB)

Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you.  And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the LORD is a God of justice.  How blessed are all those who long for Him.  O people in Zion, inhabitant in Jerusalem, you will weep no longer. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you.  Although the Lord has given you bread of privation and water of oppression, He, your Teacher will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will behold your Teacher. Your ears will hear a word behind you, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left.

Much of the book of Isaiah is prophecy concerning the future of the Jewish nation (“people of Zion”).  However, Isaiah speaks to individuals too, anyone who believes in the God of the Bible.  What caught my eye and heart in reading this passage was verse 21 that speaks of God’s voice speaking to me to guide me to make right decisions/choices.  Imagine the Lord Himself speaking to you every day, giving you advice, guidance, instruction, whatever you need to make right decisions.  What this says to me is that whatever decision I make---turn to the right or to the left---either God will clearly give me the insight to turn the right direction or, if I don’t, He will speak to me clearly to tell me that the turn I want to make is not the right turn for my life.

Think about how reassuring this truth is……….with God behind you and whispering into your heart what to do, you cannot make wrong decisions nor be outside the will of God.  So whatever you are doing and wherever you are right now, you can enjoy enormous peace of mind because you are where God wants you to be and doing what God wants you to do.  At times this may not make sense to you, your life may seem full of drudgery and lack of purpose, but rest assured that God is there with you and giving you all of His grace and compassion. 

Now, indeed, there is a condition for your assurance that God is guiding you and enabling you to make all the right decisions.  What is that condition?  You must “long for” Him.  The Hebrew word used here is “chakah”, meaning “to wait”.  Psalm 33:20 reads “Our soul “chakah” for the Lord; He is our help and our shield”.  On the other hand the word is used in Psalm 106:13 where the writer laments that people did not wait for His counsel and soon forgot Him.  So the idea expressed by the word “chakah” is that you must exhibit faith that is willing to wait for the Lord to act, to speak, to answer your prayers and while waiting you keep growing in your trust in Him.  Oh, indeed, how difficult this is for us impatient and impertinent human beings.  Yet, be reminded again and again that our ways and thoughts are not His ways and thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9) and for you to benefit from His divine guidance, you must trust in His ways rather than your own.    

God’s timing is perfect if only you can believe and practice this truth (read Psalm 27:14).  Waiting and longing for the Lord brings Him honor and gives you peace of heart and mind because you have resolved in your heart and the rest of your life’s journey to trust Him to direct you.  Such trust does not happen overnight.  Try praying to Him every morning and throughout the day, simply asking Him to help you “trust in Him with all of your heart” and not worry about explaining or understanding what is happening or not happening to you (Proverbs 3:5).

For apart from Me you can do nothing

John 15:4-5 (NLT)

“Remain in me, and I will remain in you.  For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in Me.  Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches.  Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit.  For apart from Me you can do nothing.”

I rededicated my life to Christ when I was 28 years old.  I had not attended church in nearly 10 years, but after moving to Fort Worth, Texas, with two small sons at the time, I made a decision to have God part of my life and the lives of my family.  We started attended a church near Texas Christian University and liked it enough to join it.  They had a new members dinner where each new member single or couple were picked up and taken to the dinner by a couple who were already members.  The woman of the couple who picked us up was the teacher of a college and young adult group and she asked me if I’d like to take her place as the teacher.  I’ve always found it remarkable that without hesitation I said “yes” and always felt that it was the Holy Spirit speaking through me, not my own human nature.  At that time I did not even have a Bible and here I was agreeing to teach young people, many of whom I quickly learned were studying to be full time clergy in the church. 

The students quickly saw that I was totally unprepared to lead them.  Yet, rather than reject me, they considered me “a project”.  When I started interacting with them, they allowed me to stumble through teaching on Sunday mornings while on Sunday evenings, one of them, Jesse Northcutt, who I thought had a young Billy Graham voice, was already teaching a study from the gospel of John.  I’ll never forget one of the first evenings that I was with them, listening to Jesse teach, that we studied John 15.  I was stunned by verse 5 where Jesus made the statement, “For apart (or without) Me, you can do nothing”. 

I remembered my disbelief at this statement.  Here I was 28, accomplished in many ways--nice family, nice new house, PhD degree, great job, etc—and here’s this claim that without Jesus I can do nothing.  I remember thinking that maybe this Christianity stuff wasn’t to be believed and maybe I didn’t belong.  But, again, the Lord used those students to help me understand better what this verse (and many others in the Bible) really meant. 

Jesus is talking about spiritual growth both individually and collectively.  Spiritual growth begins individually, then continues collectively through the bearing of spiritual fruit.  Spiritual fruit is making a difference in not only in the way you live your own life, but also especially in making a difference in others’ lives, as many as those who enter your life (all family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, anyone).

The bottom line to remember always is that you were created by God to serve a unique purpose.  He has a plan for you and His plan includes Jesus Christ being at the center of your life.  Jesus is the vine of your life with you being a branch extension of Him.  God is the vinedresser, pruning your branch to fulfill His purpose for you.  If you refuse to follow God’s plan for you, your life overall will mean nothing from an eternal perspective.  You will be following your own plan that mostly will be self-serving.  God’s plan for you involves your connection with others, just as the vine has many branches.  The Bible is clear (John 15:6) that branches (people) who do not choose to follow God’s plan will be cut off and burned. 

Your life means something and it will bear much fruit when you are part of God’s plan, connected to the leading of Jesus (remaining or abiding in Him).  Your life will reflect God’s glory and you will have significant purpose and meaning that has impact on the lives of many others as well as enabling you to keep maturing in your likeness to Jesus Christ.  Nothing else will give you more contentment and peace than knowing that you are reflecting God's plan for your life.