Day 18 - Discipline

OK, I know that some of you already enjoy when the LORD corrects you and know that this means that He loves you. This post is not for you.

For everyone else, I want to share what God is teaching me about His discipline. I have been reading through Hebrews 12:1-17 and I promise you that there are fantastic truths that have just appeared in this section of Scripture!

And you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the LORD, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; for those whom the LORD loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives." Verses 5-6

I don't think that I have ever received the LORD's discipline as an exhortation. I almost always take it as condemnation, which feels very serious to me, and I usually feel faint of heart and weary when I am reproved by God. He starts to shine His glorious light on the ugly sin in my heart and I freak out. "UGLY! Don't let that out and definitely don't look at it! Let's just pretend that You didn't see that God, OK?" But, I know that He did and does. And then I go through a period of several days or longer where I feel terrible because of the sin that God knows is in my heart. I try to think of how I can fix it and I rev up my self-control and try to be super spiritual so that I never fall into that sin again. The problem is that it doesn't work. At some point, I do the same sin again, and then the cycle starts itself all over again.

But, something has been changing in my heart over the past two weeks. I can only attribute it to the way that God is lavishing His love on me every day. This morning, the Holy Spirit brought one of my sinful thought patterns to my attention. Instead of panicking and shutting down, I listened. I realized that God was speaking to me in love and that He was revealing this area of sin in my life because He wants my good. I was able to repent and ask God to purify my heart and mind with regards to this area of sin. I asked God to help me walk in holiness in this area of my life and I trust that He will carry me through this process. How do I know that God's discipline is for my good?

For they (earthly fathers) disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. Verse 10

God wants my good! God wants me to share in His holiness! And I do too. So, I need to receive His discipline as His love and His good for me. God also wants me to be His legitimate child and I have to accept Him as my father for that to be possible.

But if you are without discipline,…then you are illegitimate children. Verse 8

Yikes, I don't want to be illegitimate! I want to receive all of the great benefits of being a legitimate child of God, so I need to submit to His discipline. What's more, His discipline really is His love for me.

All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness…Pursue…the sanctification without which no one will see the LORD. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God. Verses 11, 14-15

I want the peaceful fruit of righteousness. I REALLY want to see the Lord and I REALLY want to experience the grace of God. I need some discipline to get there. Is that really a big deal? It is when I am in my pride. In my pride, I want to see myself as equal to God, not like a weak, vulnerable child who is dependent on Him. After I repent of my pride, I can see the truth that this is exactly what I am with respect to God. And, when I look at the benefits of being His child, I am convinced that this is the best position for me to be in. I love the way that He loves me, even when it comes in the form of His discipline. This is a true transformation in my mind. I used to have a hard time even imagining that it could be possible to endure His discipline because I always experienced it with intense shame and self-loathing.

So, if this is you, then step into the healing of His love for you. He especially wants the dark and hurt places in your soul. Give them up to Him and know that He will forgive you and enjoy you right in the moment that you confess them.

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. Phil 1:6