Loving Discipline

April 26

(Psalm 39:9-13 NIV) I was silent; I would not open my mouth, for you are the one who has done this. {10} Remove your scourge from me; I am overcome by the blow of your hand. {11} You rebuke and discipline men for their sin; you consume their wealth like a moth-- each man is but a breath. "Selah" {12} "Hear my prayer, O Lord, listen to my cry for help; be not deaf to my weeping. For I dwell with you as an alien, a stranger, as all my fathers were. {13} Look away from me, that I may rejoice again before I depart and am no more.””

(Hebrews 12:5-12 NIV) “And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, {6} because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." {7} Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? {8} If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. {9} 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! {10} 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. {11} 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. {12} Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.”

When discipline comes from God, there is no use complaining, for we have earned it in some way. When God’s rebuke comes, He is treating us as a son or daughter that He loves enough to correct. Do not mistake the normal trials of life for God’s discipline. Every trial and difficulty is not connected with discipline from God. This is different stuff. This usually flows out of known disobedience. This is God’s loving but firm hand correcting us for our own good. The godly will realize this. Discipline is never pleasant, but it is necessary for continued spiritual vitality. It may feel like a death sentence, but it is a pathway to life. We cry out for help, but God is already with us. Discipline may produce weeping, but God will hold us and love us, even while rebuking us. Any pain we experience will be redeemed by increased strength. Any stress we endure will be replaced by God’s peace. God loves you. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day