You have been struggling against sin, but your resistance hasn't yet cost you any blood. And perhaps you have forgotten the word of exhortation which speaks to you as God's children:
My child, don't make light of the Lord's rebuke,
or grow weary when he takes issue with you;
For the Lord disciplines those whom he loves,
And chastises every child he welcomes.
You must be patient with discipline. God is dealing with you as his sons and daughters. What child is there that a parent does not discipline? If you are left without discipline (we've all had our fair share of it!), you are illegitimate, and not true children. After all, we had earthly parents who disciplined us, and we respected them; shouldn't we much rather submit ourselves to the father of spirits, and live? Our earthly parents disciplined us for a little while, as they judged best; but when he disciplines us it is for our advantage. It is so we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems to bring joy at the time, but only sorrow. Later, though, it produces fruit, the peaceful fruit of righteousness, for those who are trained by it.
As a dad disciplining your children takes some getting used. My two boys personalities are near polar opposites. If I'm too light with Ayden he is off jumping off the roof or something within five minutes of being corrected for jumping on the couch. Sebastian on the other hand is very sensitive and it just takes a stern word and "the eyes" and he's in tears with remorse. Sometimes I want to throw my hands up in the air other times I have a hard time not just laughing my head off.
Either way discipline is a touchy subject and there are a million schools of thought on how best to do this (if at all given some strategies). As I said before I am not an expert at it, I'm not even really good at it. What I do know is that I learn more from my mistakes than from my successes and the times my father disciplined me as a child, I knew I had it coming. Even if I was mad at him for a little while.
If we are too firm with our kids they get the idea that whoever is the strongest or hits the hardest is the one with power, well that is not the mentality that I want to send my child out into school, work and marriage with. If we ignore the area of discipline they end up knowing no limits and getting themselves and others in bad situations. This is particularly an issue when dealing with children from previous marriages which come from entirely different backgrounds, the bond of holding the child through the night at infancy is most likely not there and a million other things that make it hard to discipline from a place of genuine love and compassion. There are a million other social and psychological things that come into play.
So what does all this have to do with our relationship to our heavenly Father, the Father of Spirit's who disciplines us so that we may truly have life and life more abundant? It has to do with resistance to the things "of the world", the things that we see Jesus battling with throughout the gospels and the things we see the early Church being persecuted over. We see both the temptation of Jesus by Satan in the wilderness after his baptism and the never ending barrage of groups trying to get him to stumble in word or action so that they can put him and his Kingdom message that threatened their power down.
We read earlier in Hebrews 5 of Jesus who, "In the days of his flesh, offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek."
So we have this common theme of discipline through suffering that leads to a learned obedience being the marks of one who is truly loved by God, truly a son or daughter of God...one who is being made perfect servant rulers and a nation of priests. Such privilege is not gotten without discipline from a loving Father. This goes beyond getting saved and gets us firmly into the territory of regaining our image bearing personage that was lost at the fall. You're in the family by grace and grace will empower you to suffer well and learn obedience. If we are taught by the discipline. We ought to test ourselves often to see if we are indeed walking in the true faith and discipline in the form of suffering for the sake of the Kingdom is key as it is a characteristic of every glorified child reflecting Jesus own character.
"Suffering can be the trowel which digs deeply in the soil of our lives, so that the plant of peaceful righteousness - a life of settled commitment to live as God's new covenant people - may have it's roots deep in the love of God."
Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
and again...
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known.
and again...
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And
"If the righteous is scarcely saved,
what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?"
Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.
AMEN
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