Blessed is the man whom You discipline, O Lord, and whom You teach out of Your law, to give him rest from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked. For the Lord will not forsake His people. He will not abandon His heritage. For justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it.
And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by Him. For the Lord disciplines those He loves, and chastises ever son whom He receives." It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons (and daughters). Hebrews 12
Discipline is a hard word. Usually it has a negative connotation. But the word disciple is a derivative of discipline. To follow a mentor or teacher is to be a disciple. So in that respect it is our choice to be led. Blessed is the one who allows herself to be taught by God. Happy is she. Why?
When I asked Jesus into my heart as Lord and Savior, I was born into the family of God. He became my Father. I didn't know much of anything about my Abba at the time. As any infant, I needed milk. To be held and nourished, coddled and cooed. I couldn't stay there, though. There was walking to be done. I had to learn new paths. The old ones led pretty much nowhere. But I was accustomed to using my own GPS, so I had to discover how to listen to my Father tell me which way to turn. I fell down a lot. He'd reach down His hand and pick me up. Remind me that my own way leads to destruction. Then set me on the right path again. Sometimes I've needed a bop on the backside. A reminder that I was disobeying. Once I went so far down my own path, my Father went to hell and brought me out. I spent some time on my face after that. Not in condemnation, but in grief over all the pain that path caused Him first, then others. But the point is, my Father loves me enough to set parameters for me that are for my good and His glory. And I want His glory. I want to reflect the character of the Father I love with all my heart. That is the reason I obey Him, imperfectly at times, but with great desire to see Him smile and say, "Well done!"
Other disciplines Abba teaches me, though, are about being able to walk as an adult with Him. Not still needing the bottle. Wanting to chew on steak at His table. So I must learn to control myself. One of my children used to throw fits as a little girl. Bette Davis drama fits. In the middle of the floor. Writhing and screaming. A good mother doesn't let that go on. Girls who are allowed to rant as toddlers will rant as adults, too. Children who lie, lie as adults. Children who sass parents, sass teachers. I know. I taught high school. And adults with these bad habits sabotage themselves. That's why God disciplines us. So we will have content, self-controlled lives. How loving would our Father be if He said, "Oh, look, she's into drugs. Oh, well. I guess her life is going to hell in a hand-basket. What can I do about that?"? No! Alarms go off for our God. Rescue looks like failure. The posse He sends to corral His wayward child hurts her before she's carried back to freedom. But that kind of tough love saves our souls. Don't be weary if He reproves. Don't blow it off. You've got no rescue in your future if He isn't crazy enough about you to make you stop what's killing you. Every one of His children will be disciplined. Taught to obey their benevolent Abba. Because we aren't happy very far away from home.
Our kids are our heritage. They are the ones who live on after we are gone to be with Jesus. Good or bad, our families become a reflection of our clan. They have our genes. They know our rules. We belong to God that way. Jesus says in Revelation 3 that He will one day present us to the Father saying, "They belong to Me." As representatives of our Father here on earth, we read His Word and pray. Disciplines, not duties. We practice being like Jesus. Intentionally taking on the character that is inherent in our Father's family. We tell our bodies and minds what is the right thing to do and then just do it! We decide not to participate in the carnival that is our current culture. As we walk through the fair we hold Abba's hand and let Him lead us lest we wind up in a house of mirrors, lost, with no way out. Distorted and confused, crying out for Him to come and rescue us. It happens. But as we grow up in the family, we shouldn't fall prey to the hoaxes any more. Wise enough to steer baby brothers and sisters from the snare of the circus performers, we should become a hand our Father can trust to guide another down the road. Especially our own children. Our particular heritage. I have no control over someone else's babies, but I am responsible for mine. So our Abba is interested in our joy. Our peace.
Because those who are disciplined by Him will have safe harbor when those who are not His children meet their final destinies. We will recognize Him when He comes again. And our Father will know His own. Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as stars in the world, holding fast to the word of life. Philippians 2
And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by Him. For the Lord disciplines those He loves, and chastises ever son whom He receives." It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons (and daughters). Hebrews 12
Discipline is a hard word. Usually it has a negative connotation. But the word disciple is a derivative of discipline. To follow a mentor or teacher is to be a disciple. So in that respect it is our choice to be led. Blessed is the one who allows herself to be taught by God. Happy is she. Why?
When I asked Jesus into my heart as Lord and Savior, I was born into the family of God. He became my Father. I didn't know much of anything about my Abba at the time. As any infant, I needed milk. To be held and nourished, coddled and cooed. I couldn't stay there, though. There was walking to be done. I had to learn new paths. The old ones led pretty much nowhere. But I was accustomed to using my own GPS, so I had to discover how to listen to my Father tell me which way to turn. I fell down a lot. He'd reach down His hand and pick me up. Remind me that my own way leads to destruction. Then set me on the right path again. Sometimes I've needed a bop on the backside. A reminder that I was disobeying. Once I went so far down my own path, my Father went to hell and brought me out. I spent some time on my face after that. Not in condemnation, but in grief over all the pain that path caused Him first, then others. But the point is, my Father loves me enough to set parameters for me that are for my good and His glory. And I want His glory. I want to reflect the character of the Father I love with all my heart. That is the reason I obey Him, imperfectly at times, but with great desire to see Him smile and say, "Well done!"
Other disciplines Abba teaches me, though, are about being able to walk as an adult with Him. Not still needing the bottle. Wanting to chew on steak at His table. So I must learn to control myself. One of my children used to throw fits as a little girl. Bette Davis drama fits. In the middle of the floor. Writhing and screaming. A good mother doesn't let that go on. Girls who are allowed to rant as toddlers will rant as adults, too. Children who lie, lie as adults. Children who sass parents, sass teachers. I know. I taught high school. And adults with these bad habits sabotage themselves. That's why God disciplines us. So we will have content, self-controlled lives. How loving would our Father be if He said, "Oh, look, she's into drugs. Oh, well. I guess her life is going to hell in a hand-basket. What can I do about that?"? No! Alarms go off for our God. Rescue looks like failure. The posse He sends to corral His wayward child hurts her before she's carried back to freedom. But that kind of tough love saves our souls. Don't be weary if He reproves. Don't blow it off. You've got no rescue in your future if He isn't crazy enough about you to make you stop what's killing you. Every one of His children will be disciplined. Taught to obey their benevolent Abba. Because we aren't happy very far away from home.
Our kids are our heritage. They are the ones who live on after we are gone to be with Jesus. Good or bad, our families become a reflection of our clan. They have our genes. They know our rules. We belong to God that way. Jesus says in Revelation 3 that He will one day present us to the Father saying, "They belong to Me." As representatives of our Father here on earth, we read His Word and pray. Disciplines, not duties. We practice being like Jesus. Intentionally taking on the character that is inherent in our Father's family. We tell our bodies and minds what is the right thing to do and then just do it! We decide not to participate in the carnival that is our current culture. As we walk through the fair we hold Abba's hand and let Him lead us lest we wind up in a house of mirrors, lost, with no way out. Distorted and confused, crying out for Him to come and rescue us. It happens. But as we grow up in the family, we shouldn't fall prey to the hoaxes any more. Wise enough to steer baby brothers and sisters from the snare of the circus performers, we should become a hand our Father can trust to guide another down the road. Especially our own children. Our particular heritage. I have no control over someone else's babies, but I am responsible for mine. So our Abba is interested in our joy. Our peace.
Because those who are disciplined by Him will have safe harbor when those who are not His children meet their final destinies. We will recognize Him when He comes again. And our Father will know His own. Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as stars in the world, holding fast to the word of life. Philippians 2
No comments:
Post a Comment