The Disciplines of The Lord

[Christsfreeservant]

“’..My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,​

nor be weary when reproved by him.​

For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,​

and chastises every son whom he receives.’​

​

“It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.​

​

“For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.” (Hebrews 12:5-13 ESV)​

What does God require for us to be legitimate children of God and not illegitimate children? We must be crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to God and to his righteousness. We must deny self, die daily to sin, and follow our Lord in walks of obedience to his commands. This does not make us perfect people, but we should not be those who are deliberately and habitually walking in sin and disobedience.

So, as legitimate children of God we are to be those who are laying aside every weight and sin which clings so closely so that we can run the race (walk the walk) with endurance God has for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus Christ, relying on his grace and power to help us every step of the way. And all throughout the New Testament we are exhorted to forsake all sin and to now live holy lives pleasing to God in walks of surrender and in obedience to our Lord and to his commands. This is the life of a true follower of Christ.

[Romans 6:1-23; Hebrews 12:1-4; Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:23-26; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 4:17-32]

And one of the ways in which the Lord helps us to walk in holiness and in righteousness and not in sin is that he disciplines us in various ways. And this is not light and momentary afflictions, necessarily, for they are described as painful and as chastisements of God. We need the disciplines of God in our lives so that we walk the narrow road and we do not get off track and end up on the broad road leading to destruction. So he takes us through trials and tribulations and persecutions to strengthen us in our faith.

So, we need to see the difficulties which God brings into our lives (or which he allows) as for our good so that we may share his holiness. And to be holy is to be different from the world (different from the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life) because we are being conformed by God to the likeness of the character, mind, and heart of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. We need these trials and tribulations to keep us focused and on target and to strengthen us in our walks of surrender to Christ as Lord.

So, even though these disciplines are painful, they are for our good, for later they yield the peaceful fruit of righteousness in the lives of us who have been trained by the disciplines of God. And I can attest to that in my own life. Even though the Lord has given me a lifetime of trials and difficulties, through them all he was getting me prepared for the calling he put on my life 20 years ago to write down what he teaches me from his word each day and then to place these writings on the internet to go out to the people.

So, in response to our Lord, and in response to the trials that he takes us through, we are to throw off anything from our lives which is holding us back and which is hindering us from living the kind of life for Jesus that God has called us to live for his glory. If we are being lazy and if we are feeding the flesh and if we are busy entertaining ourselves instead of our lives being on the altar of God as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to him, then we are encouraged here to “get back in the game” and to “fight this battle.”

Now we are to make straight (upright, morally pure) paths for our walks of faith in the Lord Jesus. For the grace of God is not free license to keep on living in sin and in selfish desire. His grace, which is bringing us salvation, trains us to renounce (say “No!” to) ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this age. For Jesus Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works” which God prepared for us to walk in them (Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:10).

For, if we ignore our Lord’s commandments, and the exhortations of his NT apostles, and we decide to live to please our flesh, and not to live to please our Lord in all that we are and say and do, then even if we profess faith in Jesus Christ we will die in our sins and we will not inherit eternal life with God. So we need to take this seriously, for our eternity depends upon us believing and living the truth of the gospel and not the lies of Satan.

[Matt 7:13-14,21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 10:27-30; Ac 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Tit 2:11-14; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,15-17; 1 Jn 3:4-10]

“All I Ask of You”

by Andrew Lloyd Webber

No more talk of darkness,
Forget these wide-eyed fears;
I'm here, nothing can harm you,
My words will warm and calm you.
Let me be your freedom,
Let daylight dry your tears;
I'm here, with you, beside you,
To guard you and to guide you.

Say you love me every waking moment..
Say you need me with you now and always;
Promise me that all you say is true,
That's all I ask of you.
Let me be your shelter,
Let me be your light..

Then say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime;
Let me lead you from your solitude.
Say you need me with you, here beside you..
Share each day with me,
Each night, each morning.
Love me, that's all I ask of you

Caution: This link may contain ads

*The above lyrics are taken from a secular song, “All I Ask of You,” but these quoted lyrics express God’s words to us, that we would let him be our freedom, that we would let him shelter us and be our light, and that we would find our hope, and our peace and safety in him and not in the things of this dark world. All he asks of us is that we love him, which means that we forsake our sins, submit to him as Lord, and we obey his commands.

 

[roman2819]

Disciplined

It is common to hear people say, “Life is tough” or “Nothing is easy”. There are always problems to overcome, and everyone faces challenges in different ways. The years 2020 to 2024 have been challenging for almost everyone as we weather the pandemic, surge in inflation and disruption of peace. When I told a friend that Christians have eternal life, he remarked, “Why live forever and suffer again?” upon which I explained that there would be no tears and sufferings in the Kingdom of God.

Along the road of life, one cannot help asking, “Where am I going?” We ponder over the meaning of our existence, the transient nature of life. “What are we here for?” Such questions have their roots in our sense of mortality. We are aware that in life, the only certainty is death; however, when it will happen is less certain. This question lurks at the back of our mind, and permeates through the fabrics of our existence, as we live with the innate knowledge that our circumstances are precarious.

Perhaps it is this temporal sense of mortality that makes happiness look precious. Even when everything is well at the moment, we feel that another challenge will come along soon. Problems happen all the time, they never totally cease, the only difference being the magnitude and the kind of turbulence. While most are daily or mundane issues, others may be serious ones such as protracted unemployment leading to financial worries and hardships for the family. Pain and suffering from accidents, sudden bereavements, and trauma can cause people’s lives to spiral downwards, even descending into years of pain and bitterness. Some Christians suffer and lose faith, while others remain steadfast.

When the early Christians were persecuted by the Roman authorities, the writer of Hebrews wrote, “Do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes everyone he accepts as a son” [Hebrews 12:5-6]. God did not cause them to suffer, and their tribulations were within His permissive will. Our trials and problems are not always consequences of our sins, and we can be affected by other people’s sins and actions.

Our mortal bodies are subjected to sickness and decline. Such truths compel us to recognize the real world we live in, so that we will contrast our earthly existence against the eternal life that God offers. Kevin, who suffered from lymphoma disorders, understood this starkly as he struggled with illness over several years. One evening, I called him from the office to ask how he was. Although he was not bitter, however, he felt resigned, and with dry humor, he said, “I think God has to allow us to suffer so that we can appreciate eternity [in future].” What he said was not far from the truth. Sufferings and sickness can compel us to look forward to His Kingdom. There, we will have new and imperishable bodies without diseases [1Corinthians 15:50-56].

In God’s Kingdom, the contrast would be beyond words. There would be no wars, persecutions and tribulations. The apostle, John, said, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” [Revelation 21:4]. And we will only be able to appreciate the differences intrinsically after we have been disciplined by hard truths along our earthly journey.

Adapted from 'Understanding Prayer Faith and God's will'

 

[Christsfreeservant]

Disciplined

It is common to hear people say, “Life is tough” or “Nothing is easy”. There are always problems to overcome, and everyone faces challenges in different ways. The years 2020 to 2024 have been challenging for almost everyone as we weather the pandemic, surge in inflation and disruption of peace. When I told a friend that Christians have eternal life, he remarked, “Why live forever and suffer again?” upon which I explained that there would be no tears and sufferings in the Kingdom of God.

Along the road of life, one cannot help asking, “Where am I going?” We ponder over the meaning of our existence, the transient nature of life. “What are we here for?” Such questions have their roots in our sense of mortality. We are aware that in life, the only certainty is death; however, when it will happen is less certain. This question lurks at the back of our mind, and permeates through the fabrics of our existence, as we live with the innate knowledge that our circumstances are precarious.

Perhaps it is this temporal sense of mortality that makes happiness look precious. Even when everything is well at the moment, we feel that another challenge will come along soon. Problems happen all the time, they never totally cease, the only difference being the magnitude and the kind of turbulence. While most are daily or mundane issues, others may be serious ones such as protracted unemployment leading to financial worries and hardships for the family. Pain and suffering from accidents, sudden bereavements, and trauma can cause people’s lives to spiral downwards, even descending into years of pain and bitterness. Some Christians suffer and lose faith, while others remain steadfast.

When the early Christians were persecuted by the Roman authorities, the writer of Hebrews wrote, “Do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes everyone he accepts as a son” [Hebrews 12:5-6]. God did not cause them to suffer, and their tribulations were within His permissive will. Our trials and problems are not always consequences of our sins, and we can be affected by other people’s sins and actions.

Our mortal bodies are subjected to sickness and decline. Such truths compel us to recognize the real world we live in, so that we will contrast our earthly existence against the eternal life that God offers. Kevin, who suffered from lymphoma disorders, understood this starkly as he struggled with illness over several years. One evening, I called him from the office to ask how he was. Although he was not bitter, however, he felt resigned, and with dry humor, he said, “I think God has to allow us to suffer so that we can appreciate eternity [in future].” What he said was not far from the truth. Sufferings and sickness can compel us to look forward to His Kingdom. There, we will have new and imperishable bodies without diseases [1Corinthians 15:50-56].

In God’s Kingdom, the contrast would be beyond words. There would be no wars, persecutions and tribulations. The apostle, John, said, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” [Revelation 21:4]. And we will only be able to appreciate the differences intrinsically after we have been disciplined by hard truths along our earthly journey.

Adapted from 'Understanding Prayer Faith and God's will'

Roman, thank you for sharing this. Yes, in our present sufferings, if we are united with Christ Jesus by genuine biblical faith in the Lord Jesus, then we have a better future ahead to look forward to where there will be no more pain or suffering. Amen! Sue